Doo 'awéé ééhoozIIh da The Lost Child
by ArchAngel1973
Summary: Based on a challenge by xmag. What if Michael had been found by River Dog after hatching, and had been raised on the Indian reservation, by River Dog’s son and daughterinlaw ? In Roswell, the shooting happened in September 2001.
1. Chapter 1

**Doo 'awéé ééhoozIIh da**** - The Lost Child**

**By ArchAngel1973 (in collaboration with xmag)**

**Disclaimer:** Characters and plot lines that appeared in the series, the books, and the concept of Roswell are not mine. Belong to Melinda Metz, UPN, etc, etc.

**Pairing:** M&M. Some A&I later on. Dreamers have nothing to fear.

**Rating** : Teen. 

**Summary : **based on a challenge by xmag. What if Michael had been found by River Dog after hatching, and had been raised on the Indian reservation, by River Dog's son and daughter-in-law? In Roswell, the shooting happened in September 2001.

**Author's note** : The title is in Navajo but xmag and I decided to use the English translation in it, too. The fic will be very long but the good news is that there will be weekly updates and that 300 pages have already been written.

**Author's note 2** : Banner by Fehrbaby

**Part 1**

Maria stared sightlessly at the scenery as it flew by, her thoughts miles behind her as she wondered when she had become obsolete. She knew when things had changed, she just didn't know why. _Scratch that_, she thought with a sad sigh. _Everything had changed because her best friends were suddenly keeping secrets from her_. At first she had tried to shrug it off and blame it on the relationships Liz and Alex had formed with Max and Isabel, but that wasn't the reason. It was definitely part of it, but it didn't explain why the four of them were constantly taking off and going to secret destinations, having secret meetings, and talking in some sort of weird, secret code. It didn't explain why they changed the subject every single time she approached them or why she no longer seemed to be welcome around two people she had been so close to since grade school.

Two months earlier she would have been hanging out with Liz and Alex on a Saturday afternoon, complaining about the lack of things to do in Roswell, but not now. No, now her life was so pathetic that she was actually going to spend the day with her mother at some Indian protest to save a burial site or something. _The worst thing was that it would probably be the highlight of her week_, she thought morosely.

"Maria, are you listening to me?"

"Sure, Mom. We need to save the native culture and preserve it for future generations," she answered dutifully. She sighed once more when her mother continued with her rant about the loss of culture and reached for her backpack, unzipping it and pulling out her Algebra textbook. She lost herself in mathematical equations for the rest of the drive, concentrating on a completely different set of problems.

"Isn't it magnificent?" Amy asked enthusiastically as she pulled up in front of the Tribal Office.

Maria turned her head to follow her mother's gaze and she stared at what appeared to be nothing more than a huge lump of disintegrating rocks. "Um, why're we protesting this again?"

"Maria, honey, this is part of their history; it's important to – "

Relief washed over her when one of her mother's friends rushed past the hood of the car to stand by the window and the two women started talking rapidly about the… Maria looked at the crumbling wall once more. _What was it again?_ She watched her mother step out of the car and hurry to join the small group of people she traveled with for all of her protests and rallies, smiling fondly at their excited chattering.

The little group moved off to admire the _thing_ they were there to protect and Maria got out of the car and went to sit on a bench in front of the Tribal Office. She slouched down against the wall, thankful for the shade the roof provided against the early morning sun, and opened her textbook once more.

Occasionally she would look up to see how things were progressing; making note of the heavy machinery that had been brought in by the wrecking crew, smiling when the group formed a circle around what was left of the crumbling structure and started chanting their protest over and over.

The sun crept higher in the sky until she couldn't escape it any longer and she tried in vain to read as the sunlight glinted brightly off of the pages. Several hours passed while the group peacefully protested and the wrecking crew made no progress at all.

She looked up when a shadow fell over her and she frowned at the figure standing there. His face was hidden because of the sunlight falling over his broad shoulders, but her eyes wandered down over his tall form of their own volition.

"One of them belong to you?" he asked in a voice that sent shivers down her spine.

"What?"

"The protestors, one of 'em belong to you?"

"Um, yes, the most vocal one; she's my mother."

"They're not gonna keep that structure from bein' taken down." He shifted to the left and shook his head and his tone was amused when he spoke again. "You do realize that we _want_ it torn down, right?"

"Look, my mother is adamant that this structure has historical significance to the Indians that live here so just sit back and take a break, okay?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm sure you guys are getting paid by the hour even though you're stuck waiting – "

He chuckled quietly. "You think I'm on the wreckin' crew," he mused aloud. He shook his head as he turned to walk away.

"Hey!" Maria stood up when he paused several feet from the porch with his back to her. "Why do you think the Indians want this thing torn down?"

"Because it's all that remains of an old mission built by priests nearly a hundred years ago; it's a symbol of oppression. They didn't understand any religion other than their own so they tried to bury ours and force theirs down our throats because they saw the natives as nothin' more than a bunch of heathens." He walked away without another word, hands shoved deep in his pockets, and never once looked back.

Maria watched him go and wished he had turned around so she could have seen his face. His voice was unlike anything she had ever heard and while it was completely irrelevant she wondered what her name would sound like on his lips. He was tall, his hair was spiked, he was opinionated, and she really wanted to know what he looked like.

The sound of a siren wailing in the distance pulled her attention away from her musings about the mystery man and she forgot all about him as she focused on the sheriff's Blazer driving through the gates.

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"History lessons, Michael?"

The amused voice was annoying but Michael Guerin turned to look at Eddie anyway. "You got somethin' to say?"

Eddie just chuckled at the younger man's menacing growl. He was eight years older than Michael and he was familiar with his prickly personality, but he couldn't resist teasing him just a little bit. "You don't usually go out of your way to speak to outsiders, that's all."

"Her mother's tryin' to keep them from tearin' the old mission down because of its _cultural_ value." He snorted derisively and turned his head when the sheriff drove by. "It's about time the elders called the cops."

Eddie shook his head. "The wrecking crew probably called them; the elders wouldn't have called the cops on Amy. Despite the fact that she can be…" He paused as he reached for the proper descriptive word.

"Flaky?"

"My point is her group sometimes gets their wires crossed but she's been a very good friend to our people and she means well."

"You're tellin' me there's a reason for them lettin' her get arrested over somethin' they want torn down?"

Eddie smiled mysteriously. "There's always a reason, Michael, but she won't be arrested."

Michael just rolled his eyes. "You sound more an' more like River Dog every day," he grumbled.

"Maybe your little history lesson made a difference." He continued on his way without a backwards glance.

Michael stared after him for several minutes before he moved back so he could see what was going on with the protestors. He wondered how Eddie had known as he watched the little blond explain something to the group and he shook his head when they suddenly relocated to the other side of the yellow tape, allowing the wrecking crew to finally start working.

He didn't know why he had stopped and spoken to her; it wasn't typical behavior for him. He shrugged it off and walked away but he couldn't shake the feeling that they were going to meet again someday.

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"How did you know about the mission?" Amy asked as they drove home later that afternoon.

"Some guy who lives there was talking to me about it," Maria answered absent-mindedly. She couldn't get her mind off of him, which was surprising because she didn't even know what he looked like. Not that she was shallow or anything; she had just never been attracted to a guy simply because of his voice. "When are you going out there again?"

Amy glanced at her daughter, surprised that she had asked the question. Maria rarely showed any interest in what her mother did now that she was a senior in high school. She knew the lack of association with her friends was the reason for Maria's suddenly blank schedule and that was why she had agreed to accompany Amy on several recent outings. She wished she knew why there was so much distance between the three of them; as much as she enjoyed Maria's company she knew her daughter felt the loss deeply.

"Mom?"

"Sorry, honey, I was just wondering what happened with Liz and Alex."

"I guess Max and Isabel Evans are just more interesting." Maria propped her elbow on the doorframe and stared at the desert as it flew by. Before she had a chance to start feeling sorry for herself and wondering what had happened to her friendships her mind conjured up the voice that had been the focus of her thoughts for the past few hours.

"You have last period free on Wednesdays, right?"

"What?" Maria glanced at her mother. "Yeah, I'm free last period."

"Why don't you take the afternoon off from work on Wednesday and you can go out to the Reservation with me. I'm meeting with some of the local artists and maybe you can get a better look around."

Maria nodded. "You never did say how you guys got the mission mixed up as something that needed to be preserved."

Amy waved the question off, too embarrassed by the mistake to discuss it. "Why don't we talk about this young man you met?" The telltale blush on her daughter's cheeks clearly pinpointed Maria's motive for wanting to go back on Wednesday.

"Did you say you wanted to go out for dinner tonight?" Maria asked in a sad attempt to change the subject.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

At lunchtime on Wednesday Maria found herself standing across the quad, watching Liz and Max where they sat together talking at one of the tables. They glanced up with welcoming smiles when Isabel joined them and she felt a pang of sadness as the three of them carried on a conversation, their heads close together as they leaned over the table. She froze when they suddenly looked up, their gazes zeroing in on her, and she briefly considered just turning and walking away when Liz stood and started walking in her direction.

"Maria, wait up!"

"Did you need something, Liz?" she asked when the brunette had caught up with her. "Because you seemed to be pretty busy with your _new_ friends."

"Please don't be like that, Maria." Liz hated that things had become so strained between them but she didn't know what to do make them right again. The most obvious solution wasn't available because it would entail a breach of trust and she had already pushed the boundaries of trust with her new friends by revealing their secret to one person.

"You know you can join us," Alex said, pausing beside her on his way to join the others. He glanced at Liz and knew her thoughts mirrored his own. He didn't like keeping things from Maria; he could only imagine how he would feel if he had been the one who had been left in the dark. He knew she was hurt and probably felt abandoned to some extent by their sudden alliance with Max and Isabel because she had been pushed aside as they attempted to keep their new friends' dangerous secret from being revealed.

"Why? So you can struggle to find something we can _all _talk about? Do you really think I'm so stupid that I'm completely unaware of the fact that every time I come around when you're with them that you change the subject? Or that the two of you have suddenly dumped me in favor of two people you hadn't spoken one word to before – "

"Maria, we're still your friends," Liz offered. "It's just that now we have a couple of new friends and – "

"This goes beyond having new friends; I don't know what their hold over you two is, but it's obviously something you don't care to talk about, so why don't you just go on and have lunch with them and I'll see you later."

"You're sure you don't want to join us?"

Maria smiled sadly as she turned back to look at her oldest friends. "I'm sure." She shrugged. "Besides, I have somewhere I need to be."

"Okay," Liz said, her tone uncertain, "I'll see you at work then."

"Sure." She walked away without bothering to correct the assumption; she had cleared the time off with Mr. Parker the day before and she doubted that he had said anything to his daughter since Liz believed that she would be at work after school.

"I hate keeping this from her, Alex."

He nodded and draped his right arm around her shoulders. "Until we can get them to understand that they can trust her we can't say anything; you know that. They're still not happy that _I_ know about them, and it's caused enough tension so we don't need to add more to it."

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"You're sure you don't want to meet some of the artists?" Amy asked. She hesitated when Maria leaned up against the car and shook her head, trying not to be obvious as she looked around for the young man who had captured her interest.

Maria looked at her mother when she realized that she was waiting for a verbal answer. "No, Mom, I'll be fine here. Really." She made a shooing motion with one hand and adjusted her sunglasses with the other.

Amy turned and walked to the building where she was meeting with some of the artists who supplied her with a large amount of items to sell each year, hiding a smile at her daughter's attempt to appear casual and nonchalant.

"You seem to be spendin' a lot of time hangin' around on the Rez here lately."

Maria shivered as his voice washed over her and she turned her head to look at him when he leaned up against the car beside her. His gaze remained focused straight ahead, allowing her to see only his profile, and his muscled arms were folded over his chest. His features were chiseled, his jaw spoke of a stubborn nature, and his hair was still unruly and spiked.

"My mom sells stuff made by some of the people here," she explained when the fingers of his right hand began drumming restlessly against his left arm.

He nodded. "You got a name?"

Maria's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she pulled her sunglasses off. "Of course I have a name; everyone has a name."

He waited for several minutes, trying to ignore the fact that she was winding him up. He refused to be the first to break and he stared sightlessly at the empty spot where the old mission had stood less than a week ago. After several more minutes he could feel his back teeth starting to grind and he tried not to pay attention to the heat emanating from her body where she was standing so close to him.

"So, I guess you're glad that the mission is finally gone."

His head turned and his gaze swung to her in disbelief. "What?"

Maria stared at him, her eyes traveling over his strong features to settle on eyes that were unbelievably dark. It would be so easy to get lost in the intensity of those dark depths and she wondered if he had any idea how attractive he was. She dismissed that after less than a moment of contemplation; he wasn't the type to put much stock in his appearance.

"The mission, you said it was a symbol of oppression, right? So you must be relieved that it's finally gone." She pushed her tongue against the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing when he continued to stare at her, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to come up with a suitable response.

Michael couldn't seem to wrap his mind around the sudden change in topic and he shook his head in an attempt to clear it. "What's your name?" Her green eyes sparkled playfully and he growled as he realized he had played right into her hands.

"Maria DeLuca," she introduced herself.

He watched her and his eyes narrowed when she started to extend her hand but pulled it back at the last second and rested it on the hood of the car instead. "Too good to shake my hand?" he snarled.

Maria drew back from the vehemence in his tone and shook her head. "No, you just have a hands-off air about you so I thought you might not wanna shake hands." She shifted a couple of steps to the side and crossed her arms over her chest in a protective gesture. "I'm so glad I took time off from work to come back out here," she muttered.

Michael shifted uncomfortably and rubbed his neck as he tried to figure out what to do next. He hadn't meant to insult her or hurt her feelings; he knew he had a tendency to go on the attack when he felt threatened in any way. He hadn't anticipated her ability to read his body language or pick up on what he thought were subtle vibes. He was used to the looks he received from people, whether they were condescending, full of pity, or just plain hateful. Growing up as a foster kid on the reservation he had caught plenty of flack from people in town, and that had only fostered his low threshold for perceived insults.

His mind suddenly latched onto her muttered words and he straightened up beside her. "You took the day off to come see me?"

Maria rolled her eyes and refused to be swayed by the surprised tone in his deep voice. "You wish." She looked away when he moved to stand in front of her. "Don't flatter yourself; I'm here to help my mom, nothing else."

He grinned and rocked back on his heels. "You did, you took the day off to come see me."

She looked at him then. "Smugness is not an attractive feature."

He leaned forward, bracing one hand on the roof of the car beside her right shoulder and his breath brushed past her ear when he spoke again. "So, you think I'm attractive, huh?"

"Bite me, you caveman," she snapped, forcing her gaze to stay level with the arrowhead hanging from the chain encircling his neck. She was not going to give him the satisfaction of meeting his gaze.

Michael chuckled and he didn't miss the shiver that raced through her body as she reacted to the sound. "We don't know each other well enough for that yet."

The comment combined with the amusement in his rough voice made her look up despite her intention not to and her breath caught in her throat at the open expression in his eyes. She could practically feel the electricity crackling in the air between them and they hadn't even touched yet.

"Michael Guerin," he said, holding his right hand out to her.

Maria reached blindly for his hand, unable to lower her gaze. Her hand slid into his much larger calloused, work-roughened one and the only word that described the feeling was _electrifying_. She didn't know how long they stood there, staring into each other's eyes, their hands clasped together, but she could see the reluctance in his expression when he finally pulled back. It wasn't until he straightened away from her and turned his head that she realized that someone was standing behind him.

"What do you want, Eddie?" he growled, annoyed by the interruption.

"I just wanted to ask if you're gonna be goin' out to Grey Wolf's place on Saturday to help dig the new well." Eddie smiled at the young woman still holding Michael's hand and introduced himself since it was obvious that his friend had forgotten what little manners he had learned. "Maybe Maria'd like to come out and see how it's done."

Michael's eyes widened at Eddie's conspicuous words before quickly narrowing to dangerous slits as he attempted to rush the other man off without speaking. After a few moments Eddie took the hint, but his laughter lingered behind.

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Max was pulled out of his thoughts when something hard thumped against the wall he was leaning back on and he turned his head to glare at it. _Isabel had obviously decided to take her anger and frustration out on her closet_, he thought when something else impacted with the wall. He reached behind him and knocked on the wall loudly enough to catch her attention. "Cut it out, Iz!"

Silence met his order and mere seconds passed before his bedroom door was thrown open with much more force than was strictly necessary. He winced when he heard the familiar crunching sound that always followed the doorknob impacting with the wall.

"I'm getting tired of telling you to stop telling me what to do."

"Look, I get that you're pissed at me, but you don't need to – "

"I need things to go back to the way they were before you opened your big mouth and broke your promise," she snapped as she jerked the doorknob free of the wall and slammed the door shut.

"Isabel, she would've died if I hadn't – "

"You told her about us, Max!"

"I had to tell her, Iz; she knew somethin' wasn't right. How else was I supposed to explain the cells she looked at?" He watched her pace, knowing why she was agitated. "She's not gonna tell Maria."

"Yeah, because she has such a good track record when it comes to keeping her mouth shut."

Max shifted around to sit on the edge of his bed. "Alex hasn't done anything to make us think he's not trustworthy." He forced himself to keep a straight face. "You're just pissed because he doesn't fall all over himself tryin' to impress you like every other guy in school."

"Stick to things you know, Max," she snapped. "I've gone from being popular to hanging out with you, the brain, and the geek."

"Sell it to someone else, Iz; I'm not buyin'."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "They're gonna tell Maria and when they do it's all over because she can't keep her mouth shut."

"They're not gonna tell her," he denied.

"Why? Because you say so?" Isabel shook her head and jerked his door open.

"Are you gonna fix the hole you put in the wall?"

"Fix it yourself." She slammed the door behind her as she left.

Max sighed heavily when a picture on the wall came loose from its mount and fell to the floor, the glass in the frame shattering on impact. _It certainly wasn't the worst fit she'd ever thrown_, he thought as he ran his hand over the damaged part of the wall and the pieces melded together until the surface was smooth once more.

He briefly wondered if he should warn Alex about Isabel's temper. He knew she was unsettled by what she perceived to be threatening behavior from him; she wasn't used to being around someone who knew the truth about them, and the fact that Alex refused to back down in the face of her intimidation tactics was confusing her.

He repaired the picture and hung it back on the wall before leaving to join the rest of his family for dinner.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

Michael stared at the textbook lying open in front of him and attempted to ignore the dark gaze boring into him. He turned his head slightly and made several notations in the notebook beside him and pretended he couldn't hear her when she cleared her throat.

"Maggie, set the table for dinner and let your brother study."

Michael smirked when she muttered something under her breath and left him alone to do as their mother had requested.

Maggie was only seven months younger than Michael and she had latched onto him when he had been sent to live with John and Catherine Two Feathers. He had expected the novelty to wear off but she had stubbornly remained attached to him until she had become a teenager. He liked having a little sister and he had enjoyed it when she followed him around; her interest in everything he did had been annoying at times and a boost to his self-esteem at others, but he would never admit any of that to her. _Well_, he thought with a grin,_ he'd admit she was annoying, just not the rest of it_.

He looked up when Catherine called him and told him to put his books away and get cleaned up for supper. He hurried to do her bidding and returned to the table just as the rest of the family was sitting down. He listened as his parents briefly discussed their day before turning the conversation to the two teenagers.

Catherine was a nurse at the hospital in Ruidoso while John ran the family ranch and worked a second job in town; both were college educated and felt that education was important. They were actively involved in their children's lives and they made it a point to set time aside to have dinner together each night. It had become more of a challenge as the teenagers got older but they were determined to hold on as long as possible.

"Anything new going on at school?"

Michael winced when his sister squealed enthusiastically and loudly before launching into what was sure to be an extended story.

"I'm on the committee for the Harvest Dance." Her voice lowered conspiratorially. "And if rumors are to be believed, there are two different guys intending to ask me to go as their date."

Michael exchanged a pained look with his father when the conversation took a decidedly feminine turn regarding dresses and shoes. He was able to tune the conversation out until his sister mentioned the names of the two potential dates for the dance.

"You're not goin' out with Jeff Carson," he interrupted.

Maggie just rolled her eyes and kept talking.

Catherine shared an amused glance with her husband before turning her attention back to their children. She was certain Maggie was just pushing Michael's buttons; she knew her brother didn't like Jeff and she respected him too much to date someone he disapproved of. He had never said what his problem with the other boy was but she knew that if Michael didn't like him, he probably had a very good reason.

"I heard another rumor today."

"Rumors," Michael scoffed as he cut his chicken fried steak into bite-size pieces. "Do you ever hear anything that isn't a rumor?"

"Most rumors have a bit of truth to them," Maggie challenged.

"Whatever."

"Maybe you can tell me if it's true or not." She paused to see if he would take the bait and continued when he didn't. "It was about you." She pretended not to notice when his head shot up and he stared at her in the silence that followed on the heels of her statement. "I heard from two very reliable sources that you were seen kissing some blond girl this afternoon."

He shrugged and turned his attention back to the food on his plate. "Not true," he mumbled.

"Uh-huh, and I suppose it's also not true that you invited her out to Grey Wolf's place on Saturday either."

Michael considered ignoring her but he knew if he didn't respond she'd only think she was right. "Fine. Yes to Saturday, no to kissin' her."

"You do know how to kiss a girl, don't you?" She laughed at his offended expression and shook her head. She patted his shoulder in a consoling gesture as she passed behind him on her way to the kitchen with her empty plate. "I think it's great that you've met someone you like. Whether you kissed her or not!" she shouted over her shoulder.

Michael just shook his head and was reaching for his glass when he glanced up and realized their parents were staring at him expectantly, their expressions amused. "I'm uh, I'm just gonna go help her with the dishes."

"I don't remember the last time he moved that fast," John chuckled.

"You think that's impressive? When's the last time you remember him volunteering to help with the dishes?"

"You've got a point."

"Maybe he's finally found someone he's willing to let past his walls," Catherine mused aloud. Michael's differences forced him to keep so much distance between himself and others, and it concerned her. He had adapted to his life with them, accepting them as his family – and even more importantly, accepting that he was part of their family, he did well in school, and he had been accepted as part of the extended family on the reservation. But her biggest fear, next to the wrong people discovering the truth about him, was that he would protect his heart so well that he would never find a woman he could love and who he would allow to love him.

He had dated, of course, but he rarely went out with the same girl more than once, and she felt like he did it because it was expected of someone his age. She was sure it was just his way of avoiding having unwanted attention drawn to him. None of the girls had ever been invited out to the reservation or asked to accompany him if he was going to be helping out with one of the many projects that were always going on. He had never brought a girl home to meet his family and when she had questioned him about it, he had only shrugged his shoulders and looked away.

"What're you thinkin'?" John asked.

She smiled and shook her head. "He's never reacted like that when Maggie's teased him about girls in the past."

He considered that for a moment. "You think there's somethin' different about her?"

"I hope so; I really want him to be happy, John."

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"Maria!" Liz sounded out of breath as she caught up with Maria at her locker. "You weren't at work yesterday."

The blond exchanged her English textbook for a different one and closed her locker before looking at Liz. "What?"

"You weren't at work yesterday," she repeated.

"Oh, yeah, I talked to your dad Tuesday and asked him if I could switch yesterday's schedule with today's." She shrugged. "I had some things to do."

"Oh." Liz was silent as she walked beside Maria. She had hoped Maria would talk to her but it appeared that the other girl wasn't interested in making conversation. "Alex and I were talking earlier and we thought maybe the three of us could get together and do something this Saturday."

Maria glanced at her. "What, your new friends aren't invited?" She went on before Liz could respond. "I already have plans for this weekend, so maybe some other time, okay?"

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"Hey, Maggie, I thought your brother was gonna be out at Grey Wolf's place today?" Linda Birdsong asked as she pulled up at a stop sign.

"Um-hmm," she answered absently, her attention focused on the sales ad in her hands. She had plans to spend the day at the mall in Ruidoso with her two best friends since they had finally managed to all get a Saturday off together.

"Didn't he have a date or something?" Christina Horse asked from the backseat. "Looks like she stood him up."

Maggie's head shot up and she glanced around in search of her brother. She frowned when she located him sitting on the tailgate of their dad's truck, the fingers of his right hand drumming out an irritated rhythm as he stared sightlessly at the road that led out to the highway.

A quick glance at the clock on the stereo face showed nearly nine o'clock which meant he had been sitting there for more than an hour, waiting. "You guys might as well drop me off and go on without me," she said quietly. Even with the distance separating them she could easily see from his posture that he was angry and hurt, and doing everything he could to not show it.

"You gonna hang with him today?"

"Yeah. You guys know how Michael is on an average day." She shrugged. "This's the first time he's ever asked a girl to do anything on the Rez."

"She must've made some impression on him," Christina said, leaning forward and resting her arms on the bucket seats. She glanced up to meet Linda's questioning gaze in the rearview mirror and nodded in response.

"Y'know, the mall will still be there later," Linda said as she crossed the street and parked beside the truck.

"You guys don't have to cancel the trip," Maggie protested.

"After all the times he's stood up for us?" Linda snorted. "Please."

"You do realize – "

"Maggie, we know he'll probably be rude and unappreciative." Christina shrugged one shoulder. "He's Michael; I think after being around him for eleven or twelve years we know to not take it personally."

The scowl on Michael's face deepened when his sister and her two best friends pulled up beside him. He ignored the annoying, high-pitched voice blaring through the speakers he had installed for Linda, unable to put a name on the pop singer. He hurried to stand and slam the tailgate into place just as Linda cut the engine and silence fell over the area. It was shattered moments later as all three girls climbed out of the jeep and surrounded him, their voices running together as they attempted to talk over each other.

"Shut up!" he shouted, his tolerance for their antics even lower than it normally was. "Why don't the three of you go on and go do whatever mindless thing you were plannin' to do anyway an' leave me alone." He stalked around the truck and jerked the drivers' side door open, sliding in behind the wheel and gunning the engine.

"Okay." Christina coughed, waving her hands in an attempt to clear away the cloud of dust he had left in his wake as he drove away. "That was definitely more pissy than normal… even for Michael."

"Now what?" Linda asked, furtively trying to brush the dust off of her bright white tank top. "You wanna just go out to Grey Wolf's place?"

"No." Maggie stared at the road that led out to the highway. "Let's just wait here for a little while."

"You wanna wait for her? I think it's pretty obvious she stood him up, Maggie."

"Maybe not. Besides, if she shows up she's not gonna know how to get out to – "

"Linda's right," Christina spoke up. "And even if she does show up do you really wanna subject the girl to your brother's temper?"

Maggie cringed. She knew how Michael could be and she hoped that if Maria did show up she could deal with him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

Michael swung the pick ax and welcomed the burning sensation running up through his arms when the ax head struck rock. He was so pissed off that everyone had cleared a wide path when he had arrived with a dark look on his face. His temper was volatile on a good day and the others had immediately known that it wasn't one of his good days.

Small bits and pieces of rock flew in all directions as the head of the pick ax bit through another layer of rock. He couldn't believe that he had fallen for a pretty face, a sweet voice, and an admittedly hot little body. _He was smarter than that_, he thought angrily. _He knew better and he had allowed himself to be led on and smacked down_. Sweat poured off of him as he worked in the unrelenting heat, punishing himself for being such a fool, and shaking off every attempt Eddie made to intervene.

"Back off," he snarled when Eddie's shadow fell over him again.

"River Dog says to take a break."

Michael started to argue but one glance at the weathered face of his grandfather had him hauling himself up out of the pit he had been digging and walking over to the old man.

"Stop punishing yourself," the old man advised, his intelligent eyes boring into the younger man. "All you'll achieve at this rate is heatstroke."

"And you think I'm punishin' myself for what?" he asked, reaching for one of the canteens lying in the bed of the truck behind his grandfather.

River Dog snatched the canteen up and held it out of Michael's reach. "For being foolish and allowing yourself to be led by your heart."

Michael scoffed at the ridiculous notion and pulled his tee shirt over his head, using it to mop the sweat from his face and neck. "The heart is nothin' more than an organ; humans are the only species to come up with such an idiotic way of describing somethin' as base and primal as lust."

"You trivialize something that you know nothing about." River Dog shook his head in disgust and his sharp gaze raked over the younger man in disapproval. "If this is the way you intended to treat this young woman that I have been hearing about, maybe it is best that she did not show up."

"Whatever. Doesn't really matter one way or the other, does it?"

River Dog's gaze shifted when the sound of loud music announced the arrival of his granddaughter and her friends and he watched his grandson for a reaction when the girls climbed out of the vehicle with an extra passenger.

"I suppose that is up to you."

Michael stared at the four girls in disbelief but within moments his gaze had zeroed in on the blond with them. He wasn't sure what was up with her choice of clothes but she was still hot in spite of them. Her gaze raked over him and he was suddenly conscious of the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt, but before he could pull his tee shirt back on, he was doused with cold water – and a lot of it. He sputtered indignantly and turned to look at his grandfather, his eyes immediately going to the now-empty bucket in the old man's hand.

"You looked like you needed to cool down."

"I'm soakin' wet now!" Michael roared. "I look like a – "

"Not that it matters though, right? You're not trying to impress her." River Dog smiled complacently and glanced down at Michael's hands, smiling at the way he held them out away from his body. "You don't need to impress anyone, do you, _Magnum_?"

"Okay, so I can explain what happened," Maria started right in just as soon as Michael turned to look at her. "See, I left in plenty of time to meet you at eight like we planned, which is actually pretty good for me because I'm usually late for everything."

She giggled nervously. "Well, I guess I was late for this too, huh? But, it really wasn't my fault. See, I got about… well, about halfway here, maybe a little more? Anyway, I started hearing this sound and at first I thought it was nothing, but then the tire started to feel funny, like it was, I don't know, continuously running over something maybe? So, I had to pull over, and of course I don't know if you've ever been to Roswell or not, but there really isn't much of anything between here and there. Well, it turns out I had a flat tire, and I had a spare one, y'know, one of those little ones that you use temporarily? I mean, you wouldn't wanna use it for long because it's… well, that's not really the point. Anyway, so while I'm trying to get the jack and stuff pulled out this guy stops, which I thought was pretty cool because, I mean, who stops and helps anybody these days? Only, he apparently thought he'd just help himself to me because he was like an octopus and the only thing I could do was kick him in the family jewels, y'know? I mean, then he cussed me out and left, which was fine with me because I am a modern woman and I am capable of changing a tire myself."

Michael opened his mouth to speak but she was off and running again before he could form the first word.

"Well, I finally got it changed but it took longer than I thought it would, and I had my cell phone but the battery was low. Not that it mattered because you never did give me a number where I could reach you so I had no way of contacting you anyway and then I had to stop at this crappy little gas station so I could change clothes because… well, seriously, I hope you don't think this is what I intended to wear out here."

She looked down at herself disparagingly and shook her head as she took in the purple shirt and patchwork skirt. "I realize I look like a hippie that got trapped in the wrong year or something, but my mom left them in the car and between that octopus and changing the tire, my clothes got ruined and – "

Michael reached out and covered Maria's mouth with his right hand, stopping the rapid flow of words. "Did he hurt you?"

Maggie and her friends were watching the girl with matching expressions of sheer amazement that quickly turned to shock when Michael silenced her and asked a question in the gentlest tone any of them had ever heard come from him.

Maria stared into his piercing, dark eyes and shook her head. "I kicked him hard enough that his future children probably felt it," she murmured against the palm of his hand.

He nodded in approval and lowered his hand. "You're okay then?"

"Other than looking like a refugee from a bad seventies movie, I'm fine."

River Dog muttered something under his breath in his native tongue and turned to walk away, shaking his head. He paused several steps away and looked at his grandson. "Just an organ, hmm? You're only fooling yourself if you believe that, _Magnum_."

Maria tilted her head to the side and looked at Michael curiously. "Magnum? Like the guy on the TV show?"

Michael couldn't help the grin that slipped onto his face. "No, nothin' like that."

She studied him, intrigued by the teasing glint in his dark eyes. "But you're not gonna tell me, are you?"

"Stick around and figure it out if you think you can." He smirked as he issued the challenge and pulled his shirt back on, enjoying the way her eyes followed every movement he made. He was tugging his shirt the rest of the way down when it registered that his sister and her friends were still there. "Don't the three of you have somewhere to be?"

Maggie's smirk resembled his own as she stared him down, and he rolled his eyes when she crossed her arms over her chest and mimicked his pose. "I really think spending the afternoon right here would be much more entertaining."

"Goodbye, Maggie."

"You know I'll find out what I wanna know one way or the other."

Michael opened his mouth to argue, but quickly decided on an alternative method of persuasion. "Linda, you like that stereo system, right?" he asked without looking away from his sister.

"Okay, we're leaving now." Linda ignored Maggie's protests as she grabbed her arm and pulled her along behind her.

"What're you doing?"

"It took me a week of begging to get him to hook the stereo up in the jeep; I'm not about to risk losing it because you wanna be stubborn. C'mon, Maggie, you know how he is and if he takes it back out because you wanna hang around, I'm sooo not gonna forgive you."

Christina batted her eyelashes at Michael as she turned to follow her friends, running to catch up with the other girls and laughing when he groaned aloud.

"That one's trouble," Michael confided in Maria once the jeep pulled away. "Really they're all trouble, but that one is especially difficult."

Maria smiled. "So, Maggie's your sister?"

"I hate to admit, but, yeah."

"And the guy with the water bucket?"

"My grandfather."

Sensing the tension that had suddenly settled over him when she started asking questions, Maria hopped up to sit on the tailgate and changed the subject. "How far down will you be digging today?"

Michael's shoulders relaxed as the tension eased and he glanced back over at the well they had been working on for the past couple of hours. "We're hopin' to get at least half of the necessary depth dug and outta the way today; the pump was supposed to be here before we got started but when we went to pick it up yesterday they said there was a hold up. Not much of a shock, but…" He shrugged. "Anyway, I need to get back over there and give 'em a hand."

"You're stabilizing the sides as you dig, aren't you?"

"Yeah." He smiled slightly. "Know much about wells, do you?"

"I may have done some research last night." Her smile was flirtatious.

Michael had to remind himself to breathe as he backed away from her. "We're stabilizing as we go," he assured her. "This probably wasn't a very good idea… you're gonna be bored outta your skull just sittin' here."

"Nah, I brought some homework that's due Monday and if I recall you said you had somethin' you wanted to show me after you were finished." Her smile faltered. "Unless you've changed your mind?"

"Huh-uh." He grinned. "Gimme a couple hours and I'll be ready."

Alex followed the path that wound through the park, his destination pre-determined. He had called Liz but her mother had said she wasn't home, so after considering where she could have gone he had headed for the park. It was where she had always gone after a fight with Maria and he was counting on her predictable behavior. He smiled when he reached the playground at the center of the park and spotted Liz at the swings.

"I thought I might find you here," he said as he dropped down to sit in the swing next to hers.

Liz glanced at him and her eyebrows lifted in question. "Why?"

He just shook his head, knowing she had no idea just how predictable she was. "Your mom said you had gone for a walk; I thought we were gonna catch a movie this afternoon?"

"Did Maria tell you where she was going today?" she asked, oblivious to his question.

"No, she just said she had plans, why?"

"Don't you think it's weird that she didn't tell either of us what her plans were? Alex, you know how Maria is; don't you think it's weird that she's suddenly being secretive?"

"We're the ones bein' secretive, Liz." He glanced at her and shrugged. "I think Maria's just not offering any information."

"You think it's hypocritical, right?"

"Yeah. I know we can't tell her about Max and Isabel because they're havin' a difficult enough time tryin' to deal with us knowin' the truth about them, and I know Maria can be a little… dramatic and excitable, but we're gonna convince them that it'll be okay if she knows."

Not far away Isabel stood out of sight and listened to their conversation. Running across them at the park had been purely accidental, but eavesdropping on their conversation had been completely intentional. Max wanted to believe that Liz and Alex could be trusted, but Isabel knew better. It was time to handle things herself. _Maybe she would visit them on the dream plane_, she thought as she walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

Michael hauled himself up over the edge of the freshly dug well and allowed Eddie to pull him to his feet. He stretched in an attempt to work the kinks out of his back and shot a quick glance at Maria where she was leaning on one side of the truck… He tipped his head to one side and watched her for a moment, unable to control the urge to smile when he realized that all of her concentration was focused on the notebook she was furiously writing in. He briefly wondered what she was writing about before turning his attention back to the task at hand.

He was leaning down to pick up some of the tools when a hand on his forearm stopped him and he looked up at his grandfather.

"Go on," he said with a smile. "Let the others finish here."

The younger man started to protest but one more quick glance at Maria had him nodding in response. "We gonna finish up tomorrow?"

"I'll let you know tonight." River Dog looked at the sky. "If it rains, it will be too dangerous to work on the well."

Michael decided not to question his grandfather's statement, straightening up and brushing as much of the dirt as possible off of his clothes. He forced himself to walk over to the truck despite wanting to hurry, and he saw Maria close her notebook and slide it along with her pen into a large black and red handbag.

"Are you already finished?" Maria asked, trying to hide a yawn as she stretched.

"Yeah, we got a little better than halfway; that's pretty good for a day's work." He shrugged. "We'll finish up tomorrow if it doesn't rain."

"I haven't heard anything about rain in the forecast."

"Me either, but I learned a long time ago that if River Dog says it's gonna rain, it's probably gonna rain." Noticing the way she held her bag, as if it was something precious, he couldn't resist the temptation to tease her. "Were you writin' about me? I can understand why you'd be fascinated; I am a pretty exceptional guy." He braced one hand on the truck beside her and nodded at the bag she held so protectively. "You can tell me what you wrote; did you describe me as this really hot guy workin' hard under the hot, desert sun?" he asked, smirking.

Maria burst out laughing, almost falling off of the tailgate and straight into Michael's arms. She steadied herself on the truck and jumped down, careful to maintain her hold on her bag. _His ego really needed to be brought down a bit_, she thought, watching him as he slammed the tailgate shut. He motioned for her to follow him around the truck and her gaze briefly turned back to the others who were gathering the tools strewn about from the days' work.

"Actually, if you must know, I was writing about the guy next to you… the one I met the other day." She paused while he unlocked the passengers' side door. "Eddie, right? I'd have to say that he's got a great body… athletic, lean muscles, and those intense black eyes – "

Michael turned the key in the lock so fast that he was surprised it didn't snap in two. His face took on a thunderous expression and he spat out an outraged, "What? Eddie?!" as he turned to look at the man she had mentioned. "You've gotta be kiddin' me! He's too old for you and he's got a girlfriend, so you'd better – " His rant was cut short when Maria slapped him over the head and he turned to glare at her.

"I was kidding, Michael; Eddie's handsome, but I have no interest in him. I was writing about something else."

"Yeah? What?" Michael grumbled, not wanting to analyze his relief at Maria's admission that she was only joking about Eddie.

"Well, I was watching all of you working so hard digging this well and… nothing, it's just an idea I had. Forget about it." Maria didn't want to develop her idea; she wasn't ready to reveal her thoughts on it just yet. She had no idea how Michael would react if she told him that she wanted to write an article about the conditions on the Reservation. _Would he be offended that his people's misery would be exposed to everyone if she managed to write the paper?_

He shrugged and walked around to the drivers' side and opened the door before sliding in behind the wheel. "Um, you left your car at the Tribal Office?" he asked as he started the truck and put it into gear.

"Yeah."

Michael nodded. "We'll run by my house so I can clean up and then we'll go get your tire fixed. Eddie's cousin works at a mechanic's shop in town and he'll be there for a couple more hours."

"That's not necessary," she denied, turning to look at him. "The spare's good enough to get me home."

He snorted. "It takes you, what, an hour to get home? You're not drivin' that far or that long on a spare; it's not smart or safe. Call your dad if you don't believe me and I'll bet you twenty bucks he'll agree with me."

"I doubt it," Maria muttered, crossing her arms over her chest and slouching down as she turned her head to stare out at the passing scenery.

"You don't get along with your dad?" he asked quietly, sensing that he had somehow hit a nerve.

"Well, he kinda walked out on me and my mom when I was like six so we're not really that close."

Michael winced when she snapped at him and he bit back his own automatic pissy response, realizing that her father's abandonment was obviously a very sensitive subject. He didn't know what to say to make it right so he just cleared his throat and stared at the road ahead. For the next twenty minutes they rode in uncomfortable silence and as they neared his house he shifted and glanced at her.

"Umm, look, about before…" He tugged the collar of his shirt away from his throat and swallowed hard. He sucked at apologies and he knew it, which was why he rarely made the effort. He had certainly never gone out of his way to apologize for anything to any of the girls he had briefly dated but somehow this situation was different… Maria was different.

Maria had turned to look at him when he broke the silence and she watched him fidget restlessly for several minutes. Her eyes widened in surprise when she realized that he was trying to formulate an apology and she hurried to stop him. "No, Michael, it's okay; I don't even know why it matters anymore."

"Bein' abandoned isn't somethin' that's easy to get over." His smile was tinged with sadness and he shrugged. "I might know a little somethin' about it."

Maria watched him closely, wondering at his statements. _What did it mean? How did he know what it felt like to be abandoned?_ She knew he lived on the Reservation and that a Native American family was raising him, but she had just assumed that his real parents had died and that they had made arrangements for him to be raised by friends, people that they trusted with his care. She opened her mouth to ask him but changed her mind when she saw his closed-off expression. She tamped down her curiosity at his words and turned her head to look out through the windshield when he applied the brakes and threw the gearshift into park.

"Would it be wrong if I said that your house seems a little nicer than some of the others I've seen?" she asked as she followed him inside the modest single-story home.

Michael smirked. "No. My parents worked hard to reach this standard of livin' and they work just as hard to maintain it. Our family's considered well off by Rez standards; a lot of the homes here don't even have electricity or running water." He shook his head. "If I get started on this topic we'll never get outta here. If you want a drink the kitchen's through there," he pointed to the right. "Otherwise, just make yourself at home and I'll be back in a few minutes."

Maria wandered around the living room after he disappeared down the hall, taking in the well-worn but comfortable furniture, the decorations that adorned the walls, and finally settled on the photographs that surrounded the natural stone fireplace. The house exuded a feeling of love, warmth, and acceptance, and she was glad that this was his home.

He came back a short while later and he moved up behind her when he heard her chuckle. "What're you laughin' at?" he growled softly.

Maria shuddered when his rough voice caused a shiver to race up her spine and she really hoped he hadn't noticed it. "You," she admitted finally, pointing at one of the pictures.

Michael smiled at the picture of him at eight years old, wound up with rope after a sad attempt to master his roping skills, and shook his head at the memory. "Every damn time I tried to learn how to rope I ended up with the rope wrapped around myself. That was the end of my I-wanna-be-a-cowboy phase."

"Judging by later pictures you must've finally learned to do it pretty well."

"I placed in a couple of competitions but that's about it. C'mon, we need to get goin'." He continued once they were in the truck and on their way. "I eventually learned enough to help Dad when he needs it."

Maria turned and braced her back against the door so she could look at him while they talked. "Has your family always been in the cattle business?"

"No, my dad's the one who started that, and it's not a big enough operation to generate much money. My parents both have jobs in town; Dad works nights at one of the factories, and Mom's an ER nurse at the hospital. There aren't a lot of jobs on the Rez, so most everyone works at the steel factory in town."

"Well, how is anyone supposed to get ahead or make better lives for themselves if they're all stuck in minimum wage jobs?"

Michael glanced at her as he pulled up behind her car. "They're not."

After retrieving the damaged tire and climbing back inside he put the gearshift in drive and turned the truck towards the highway. "The government isn't interested in seein' anyone make it off the Rez. Why do you think there's such a big problem with drugs, alcohol, and high school dropouts? There's no interest in finding a solution to the problem."

He paused, thinking. "Take Grey Wolf for example, he's one of the ones who live without the convenience of running water and electricity; he depends on things like a new well every couple of years. The ground water on the part of the Rez where he lives is unpredictable at best, so it's a given that every couple of years we've gotta dig a new one before the old one completely dries up. There's no funding for that; if there were, we'd be able to bring a drilling rig in here and not only dig it much faster, but chances are good that it'd go deep enough that we wouldn't be lookin' at diggin' a new one in a couple of years. We were able to raise enough money so he'll have an actual pump this time – before this he's always had to rely on the old bucket on a rope thing – problem is, the guy at the hardware store who ordered it isn't very Native-friendly, so it's conveniently on back order."

"You think he's lying?"

"I know he is. No, we can't prove it, but it's not the first time he's made someone from the Rez wait for an order."

"You're serious. They why do you buy from him?"

"He's the only one who sells the kind of equipment we need." Michael smirked. "We'll go by there after we get the tire fixed and you can see it for yourself." He looked at her and frowned. "This isn't what I had in mind when I said I wanted to show you somethin', but I didn't want you drivin' home on that other tire."

"Yes, I got that. You can tell me what you had planned though."

"You ever been horseback ridin'?"

"I sat on a Christmas donkey once."

He nearly choked on a laugh before he caught himself. "A what?"

"A Christmas donkey." She rolled her eyes at his disbelieving look. "I live in Roswell, okay? Bringing a real reindeer in for Santa's visit apparently wasn't in the budget." She slapped his shoulder when he bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. "It's not funny; it was actually quite disappointing. I was really looking forward to seeing one of Santa's reindeer and when we got there it was just a plain old donkey and someone had stuck a pair of fake antlers on his head."

"So, other than that one…" he cleared his throat, "umm, dissatisfying, umm, visit with the Christmas donkey… you've never been horseback ridin'?"

"Would you like to just go ahead and laugh out loud and get it over with?"

He couldn't hold it in any longer and he leaned forward over the steering wheel as he laughed. "I'm sorry," he finally choked out, "I'm not laughin' at you, really."

"I can tell." Maria tried to maintain her offended expression but she burst out laughing when she looked up and met his amused eyes. "Okay, I guess it is actually pretty funny."

"I'd like to take you horseback ridin'; there's a place I wanna show you, but it takes about an hour to get there and I don't wanna rush it, so maybe we can give it another shot next weekend? If you can get the day off?"

"I'd like that." She smiled. "I've gotta help my mom do some stuff Saturday morning but I'll be free after that."

"Cool." He pointed at something ahead of them and Maria turned to look, surprised that they were already in town. "That's the shop where Eddie's cousin works; he said it probably wouldn't take long to fix the tire, but there's a decent place to eat across the street."

"Before or after we go by the hardware store?"

Michael glanced at his watch. "Probably oughta swing by there after we drop the tire off or they'll be closed for the rest of the weekend."

After dropping the tire off they drove several blocks away to the hardware store and Maria watched him as they walked inside, aware of the tension that settled over him the closer they got to the counter.

The man sitting on a stool behind the counter did little more than glance at Michael over the top of his newspaper. "Already told you people the pump won't be in this weekend."

"It was ordered three weeks ago, Mr. Potter."

"Are you hard of hearin', boy? Or do you just have a hard time understandin' the English language? I told you it's on backorder and it'll be here when it gets here. You'll get a call when it comes in." He snickered rudely. "Maybe if you people would get with the twenty-first century you'd – " His disparaging comments were cut short when the paper was suddenly ripped from his hands and thrown down on the counter.

"I don't appreciate your racist remarks, Mr. Potter," Maria interjected before the man could speak. "Perhaps it's escaped your notice that people like you are the reason that others have such a hard time making progress. You have no right to hold equipment hostage that they ordered from you in good faith, and expected to be delivered in time for the completion of their project. Are you aware that what you're doing violates all sorts of codes? My uncle is a high-ranking official for the customs department and if he finds out that you've been – "

"There's no need to get so upset, young lady," Potter insisted as he reached for a sales book and placed it on the counter. "Just let me take a look at somethin' here." He flipped through several pages before nodding and sitting back. "The pump will be in Thursday afternoon; you can pick it up then."

Maria leaned on the counter and tapped one fingernail against the date he had specified. "Y'know, it would really be much more efficient if you'd just have that delivered for us. It'd be such a nice gesture, don't you think? I mean, you must get a lot of business from the Mesaliko Indians, right? So, imagine how much more business you could drum up if you actually offered delivery of your goods. Considering you're the only hardware store in town that sells the equipment they need, it would only make sense if you offered better customer service to people who consistently purchase equipment from you."

Michael's gaze bounced back and forth between them, ready to jump in if Mr. Potter made any kind of threatening move towards Maria. He hadn't expected her to jump to their defense but he wasn't going to try to stop her either. He watched her as she reached out to shake the man's hand, unable to believe the turn of events.

"Then we'll expect to see that pump on Thursday afternoon, Mr. Potter, and thank you so much for agreeing to deliver it. It'll save us so much time."

Michael just knew his mouth was hanging open when she took his hand and pulled him along behind her as she left the store.

"Now, I believe you were saying something about decent food?"

"Uh, yeah."

Maria suddenly stopped and turned to face him, her expression mutinous. "I tend to speak my mind, so you're just gonna have to deal with it. His attitude is ignorant and he was pissing me off and I – "

"No," Michael interrupted quietly. "No, no, that's fine; I'm just… I'm amazed. I've never seen anyone do that."

"Well, it's obvious that the guy has some major issues – and I'm not excusing his behavior – but you went in there hoping he'd start something. Why would you do that?"

"You wouldn't understand."

Maria sighed heavily when his mood turned dark but she could sense the pain beneath his anger and she hurried to get in front of him, stopping him with a hand on his chest. "No, maybe I don't understand it from your perspective, so why don't you explain it to me?"

"Look, there's nothin' to explain. People like Potter will always see people like me as nothin' more than second class citizens who have no right to exist in the same time and place that they occupy. I already know how he's gonna treat me and anyone else from the Rez; I don't have to go in there and beg him for anything."

"Michael, I'm not suggesting you should put yourself out there like that, not ever. What I'm sayin' is that he knows how much his attitude gets to you and he's pushin' your buttons because he knows you're eventually gonna lose your temper, and when you do you're gonna do somethin' stupid. Do you really wanna give him that satisfaction?"

"No," he admitted grudgingly.

"Good. Now, weren't you telling me about a place around here that serves good food?" she asked, moving to the side and falling into step with him as he resumed walking.

A reluctant smile crossed his features and he hesitantly reached down to take her hand in his own.

Maria didn't comment on the stiffness in the fingers that wrapped around hers. She had realized soon after meeting him that he wasn't an openly affectionate person, so she took it as a good sign that he had made the first move.

"Sorry 'bout earlier," he mumbled when they reached the truck. "I know I shouldn't let it get to me, but…" He shrugged one shoulder as he drew his hand back from unlocking the door.

"I seem to remember an earlier conversation about scars."

"Yeah." He rounded the truck and slid in behind the wheel. "So, you have an uncle who works for the customs department?"

Maria snorted. "I don't actually have an uncle; I just made that up because people always seem to be more willing to cooperate if there's even the slightest hint that the government might become involved in their business. I figured the customs department would be a good one to use because he probably has to deal with customs for some of his merchandise."

Michael paused before inserting the key in the ignition and turned to look at her. _She had lied to the guy about having an uncle who worked for the customs department?_ He shook his head and a genuine smile lit up his features. She had guts; she didn't hesitate to speak her mind and she didn't make apologies for it either. He liked that a lot. He started walking again, her hand still linked with his. He had a feeling that she was going to surprise him quite a bit in the future.


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

Amy DeLuca had always been able to gauge her daughter's moods by the type of music she was listening to. Right now Pop was her happy music and the fact that it was being played at a nearly deafening level meant that Maria was in a very good mood. She knew the situation with Liz and Alex had been incredibly upsetting and the sudden lift in her spirits could only be attributed to the young man she had met on the Reservation.

"Hi, Mom."

Amy turned to lean back against the counter as she took in her daughter's happy and relaxed features. "Have a good day?" she asked, watching Maria root around in the refrigerator.

"It was incredible." She finally settled on a bottled water and closed the refrigerator door with one hip. "Do you have any idea how horribly Native Americans are treated?" She took a drink of her water before launching into her speech. "Do you know they're digging a well by hand because there's no funding for improvements like that? Seriously, Mom, by hand! And the guy that owns the hardware store where they get their supplies? What a racist! They pay for the equipment and he practically holds it hostage!"

"You went into Ruidoso?"

Maria rolled her eyes. "I had a flat on the way out there this morning and I got it changed with no problem but Michael insisted on getting the tire fixed because he didn't think the spare was safe enough to drive on for seventy miles. Anyway, since we were in town we went to check on the pump for the well; you wouldn't believe the way this guy was talking to him, Mom! Just because he grew up on the Reservation!"

Amy hid a smile at her daughter's indignant tone; she didn't need to hear anything else to know that Maria had put the man in his place. She listened to the teenager rant for the next hour about the issues faced by the Native Americans and she couldn't help the flash of pride that surged through her. Her daughter's passionate vocalization about the Native Americans as well as the conditions and racism they were forced to endure reminded her so much of herself at seventeen. It was times like this when she saw herself in Maria the most and she was thankful that some of her values were being passed on to her daughter.

"So, I guess you'll be going out there again sometime soon?" Amy asked when she finally started to wind down.

"Yeah. I wanted to be there Thursday when they deliver the pump, but I'm scheduled to work all this week after school and I wanna see if I can get Saturday off."

"Big date with Michael?"

"What happened to our don't-ask-don't-tell policy?"

"So, that's a yes then."

"Mom, seriously, we're not having this conversation."

"What're your plans for Saturday?"

"I don't know. What're your plans for your next date?" She knew her mom would drop the subject soon; they never discussed their dates. "You're still seein' that aromatherapy salesman, right?"

"Have you had dinner yet?" Amy asked, turning back to search through the grocery bag she had brought in with her.

Maria smiled triumphantly and went back to her room. "Works every time," she muttered to herself.

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Maggie followed the path around the side of the house, frowning when she found her brother staring pensively into the desert. His thumb thumped against the basketball he held pinned against his body with his left arm, the disjointed sound echoing his thoughts. She slapped the ball out of his loose grasp as she walked by, dribbling the basketball before aiming for the goal mounted above the garage door and releasing it.

Michael's response was automatic; he snatched the ball out of the air as it dropped from the net. Maggie moved into a defensive position when he started dribbling the ball, well aware that he would fake to the left to distract her before taking his shot from the right.

"So…" She waited until he made his move to go on. "I like Maria." She shouted in elation when he missed a step and she stole the ball and sank it before he could recover.

"Cheater," he grumbled, accepting the ball when she tossed it back to him. "I'll give you the point though."

"Your generosity astounds me. It's not my fault if you're off your game tonight." She watched him set up for a shot from the free-throw line.

"I am not off my game," he denied as the ball left his hands.

"Uh-huh, because you're normally this distracted when we're shootin' hoops."

Michael watched the ball arc through the air and hit its intended target with flawless precision before glancing at his sister. "Told you I'm not off my game."

"When're you gonna see her again?"

"Who said I intended to?"

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Just go get the ball."

"I'm not your dog, y'know."

"Obviously," he agreed, his tone dry. "A dog would listen better." He hid his relief when she stalked across the driveway to retrieve the basketball, knowing he had aggravated her enough that she would drop the subject. _Temporarily, at least_, he thought. But he knew once she had won the game – which, invariably, she would – it wouldn't be long before she remembered her line of questioning and it started all over again.

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Maria leaned against the counter, grateful that the rush from the Sunday afternoon crowd was over. The café was nearly empty and she knew from experience that the few older patrons still loitering over their coffee and newspapers would stick around for a while yet. She went to start a new pot of coffee and glanced over her shoulder when the bell above the door jangled.

She watched Alex drop down to sit in the booth at the back and immediately noticed the dark circles under his eyes. Liz had looked the same when she had come in for work that morning and she wondered why they looked like they hadn't slept in days. When Liz slid into the booth across from him, Maria found herself walking over to check on them.

"Are you guys okay?"

Alex rested his forehead on his folded arms and closed his eyes. "Didn't sleep very well last night," he mumbled.

"Me either." Liz slumped against the wall and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Maybe we should've gone to see a comedy yesterday."

He cracked one eye open to look at her. "You dreamt of aliens too?"

"Weird, huh? I never dream of movies, and I really could've gone on that way." She shuddered. "I hope that doesn't happen again; I didn't get any sleep last night."

Alex forced himself to sit up and face Maria. "You must've gotten back late last night."

Maria shrugged. "Not that late."

"Yeah, where'd you go?" Liz asked. "I thought maybe you'd come by here after you were finished with what you were doing."

"I went to see a friend."

"Someone we know?"

Maria shook her head. "So, tell me about this alien nightmare."

"It was just a bunch of jumbled up images." Liz glanced at Maria and quickly diverted her gaze, guilt eating away at her when she saw suspicion beginning to creep into the blonde's features. They had never intended to shut Maria out of their lives, but the inclusion of Max, Isabel, and their secret had left them with little choice. "It has to be because of that movie we went to see yesterday."

It wasn't so long ago that the three of them would have spent Saturday afternoon at the movies together, laughing at whatever science fiction/alien/fantasy movie Alex had chosen, picking it apart while he defended his choice. She had never had nightmares about any movie they had ever seen, no matter how scary it was or what kind of aliens were in it. They had lived in Roswell their entire lives and none of them had ever really spent much time caught up in the theories and conspiracies that made up so much of the town's history. She couldn't exactly tell Maria that the only plausible explanation for this sudden development was that now they actually knew real aliens existed, they had powers, and she and Alex were the only ones who knew.

Maria's gaze bounced between them and she felt her good mood dissipate; it wasn't that hard to read the guilt in their expressions. For just a few minutes things had felt normal but reality came crashing down at the weak explanation Liz had given. The brunette had never been good at lying and this time was no exception. She didn't know what they were hiding from her or why, but it was obvious that they had no intention of sharingwhatever they were keepingfrom her.

"So, you're gonna lie to me and expect me to believe it? You can't even be honest about a stupid dream?" Disappointment welled up in her chest and threatened to choke her. "Fine, Liz, keep your secrets to yourself. And while you're at it, come up with a plausible explanation for my not being here because I'm going home."

Alex reached out to place a restraining hand on Liz's arm when she moved to follow Maria to the employees' lounge. "Let her go, Liz; it's only gonna make it worse if you go after her now."

"No, Alex, I need to explain – "

"Explain what, Liz? What exactly are you gonna tell her? We're not just keepin' secrets from her; we've lied to her and she knows it."

Liz pulled her arm free of his grasp and pushed herself to her feet. "No, I have to talk to her; she's my best friend, she'll listen." She managed to intercept Maria as the blond barreled through the employees' entrance and she took a deep breath before speaking.

"Maria, please just come sit down and hear what – "

"Why should I? So you can tell me more lies and expect me to smile and walk away as if I actually believe you?"

"No, Maria, I want to…" She glanced down when her cell phone rang and she fished it out of her apron pocket. "Don't go anywhere, okay?" She answered the call and put the phone up to her ear. "Hello?" She mentally cursed his bad timing when she heard Max's voice coming from the other end.

Maria listened to the one-sided conversation and wanted to scream when she heard Liz agree to meet the person on the other end of the line. She had no doubt that Max was the one who had called; it seemed Liz dropped everything and everyone for him these days. She straightened up when Liz disconnected the call, expecting it when the brunette lifted her head to look at her, an apology written all over her face.

"Maria, I'm really sorry, but – "

"No problem, Liz. Go on and do whatever Max Evans has summoned you for; I already told you I was leaving."

Liz sighed when the bell above the door jangled as Maria made her exit. She knew the only thing that would satisfy Maria would be the truth and she wasn't in a position to share it with her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

Loud music met Amy as she unlocked the front door and entered what was normally a home where music was played at respectable decibels. The music was not only loud; it was angst-ridden and angry, which clearly gave away her daughter's mood. She made her way along the hall, wincing at the noise, and wondering when loud music had become something she wasn't that excited about. She knew a knock wouldn't be heard so she opened the door to Maria's bedroom and leaned against the doorway.

She didn't notice her mother, too busy piling various objects into a box that sat on the bed. Her face was streaked from the few tears she had allowed to fall when she had gotten home, angry that she was so easily dismissed from her friends' lives. She threw another picture of her and Liz into the box and was reaching for a stuffed animal holding a small picture frame when silence suddenly fell over the room.

Amy controlled the urge to demand an explanation when she saw her daughter's face, knowing the questions wouldn't be welcome. She knew their relationship wasn't a traditional mother/daughter relationship but it worked for them. Having a baby so young and out of wedlock had been frowned upon but she had struggled to make their lives as normal as possible, and Maria had grown up a lot faster than she should have because of it.

"Have you had lunch yet?"

Maria used the hem of her tee shirt to wipe the evidence of her tears away before turning to face her mother. She didn't fool herself into thinking that her mother wouldn't notice that she had been crying, but she knew there would be no questions. Their relationship was anything but traditional and while it had been difficult at times, she wouldn't want it any other way. Her mother was a free spirit, a naturalist, and a hippie, and they had a very different way of going about things than others did, but she thought that it had only made their relationship stronger.

"No, I was just doing some cleaning." She glanced at her alarm clock. "I didn't know it was after three already." She shrugged. "I kinda left work a little early."

Amy glanced at the box and nodded as she came to a quick decision. She had to do something; she just couldn't stand back and watch her daughter suffer any longer. "I've been thinking about expanding the business but it'll require me to be out of town several afternoons during the week."

"You're not going into business with that aromatherapy salesman, are you?"

"What? No! I wanted to ask you if you could do some of the deliveries and pick up on the Rez a couple of days during the week. I know it'd mean cutting back on your hours at the Crashdown, but if you'd be willing to do it you'd be doin' me a really big favor. C'mon, I'll make lunch while we talk about it."

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Liz raised her head from her textbook when Max sat down across from her at the picnic table under the old oak tree at the edge of the quad. "Hi," she greeted.

Max frowned and leaned forward on his forearms, his dark gaze tracing over her features. "Are you still having trouble sleeping?"

"Yeah." She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I can't understand why I'm suddenly having nightmares about a stupid movie; I've never had that problem. Maybe it's because of what was in the movie," she admitted sheepishly.

"What're you talking about?"

"Alex and I went to see that new alien movie last weekend since it was just the two of us. I'm sure the nightmare has nothing to do with our situation, Max."

"You went to see an alien movie?"

Liz was startled by Max's question. She hadn't considered how he would feel about her off-handed comment; she had never thought twice about how he would feel about his girlfriend going to see a movie about aliens. The fact was, she didn't know what his opinion of alien movies was. Aliens were almost always portrayed at the bad guys, invaders intent upon the destruction of humanity. She knew he was nothing like that; Max was sweet and gentle and she suddenly felt guilty for going to see the movie. "Yes, I'm sorry."

Max shook off her apologetic look as a thought occurred to him. "Liz, I noticed that Alex kept nodding off in History class this morning; has he been having trouble sleeping as well?"

"Yes, he has," Alex answered for himself as he sat down beside Liz. "Got any ideas on how to cure that?"

He looked up when Isabel joined them. "Yeah, actually, I do." He stood and grabbed her arm before she had a chance to sit down, holding her in place while they stared each other down. "You've been doing it, haven't you?" he growled, his voice low.

Isabel tossed her long blond hair over her shoulder, straightening to her full height and staring down at him with an icy gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about." She looked down at his hand. "Now let go of me."

"You've been going into their dreams, haven't you?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Alex interrupted, sitting up straighter. "_You've_ been doin' this?" He stood up and stalked around the table, pushing Max out of the way to confront Isabel face-to-face. "What the hell have we done to deserve bein' tormented night after night? We've done nothin' to make you think you can't trust us."

Isabel forced herself to maintain her position, refusing to back down in the face of his anger. "You want to tell Maria what's going on."

"So? Wantin' to do somethin' and actually doin' it are two completely different things. What makes you think we're gonna share your secret?"

"The fact that you know speaks for itself."

"You don't wanna trust us, fine, don't; but stay outta our heads." He shook his head and stared at her. "You're gonna have to learn to trust us eventually, Isabel, just like we have to be able to trust you. Pulling stunts like this is not only a serious infringement on our privacy, it's also in very bad taste; it's beneath you and you're better than that."

Isabel stared at him, stunned when he fell silent and went back to his seat. No one had ever dared to stand up to her like that and she wondered what made him think he had any right to do so. "I don't appreciate your – "

"I don't appreciate your invasion of our privacy," he snapped. Lack of sleep had made him incredibly cranky and he couldn't stop the irritation from coming out.

"She won't do it again," Max said.

"Don't promise things you can't deliver; it needs to come from her or it means nothing."

Isabel met Alex's gaze defiantly before stalking off without another word.

"Pissing her off is never a good idea," Max warned, watching his sister cross the quad.

"Creepin' into my dreams isn't a good idea either." He rested his head on his forearms and looked at Max. "You might've thought to warn us about that particular… gift."

"It never occurred to me that she would try to dreamwalk you guys." He sighed as he sat down across from Liz once more and reached out to take her hand. "I guess I should've known she would if for no other reason than because she's terrified that you're gonna tell Maria."

Liz squeezed his hand. "We're not gonna tell her, Max."

He smiled. "I know, but Isabel has trouble trusting anyone, and you guys knowing about us hasn't made it any easier on her." He shook his head at the look of disbelief on Alex's face. "I'm not making excuses for her, I'm just asking you to be a little understanding while she finds a way to deal with it."

"We've known about it for two months now, Max."

"It's the first time she's ever had to deal with something like this, Alex. I'm not saying she's dealing with it well, but… she is trying."

"If she were trying, she'd at least make an attempt to get to know us."

Max nodded, accepting that he had no defense for his sister's behavior. "I'm sorry."

"You can apologize for defending her behavior, Max," he shook his head, "but don't apologize for her behavior; that's her responsibility." He yawned. "Now, anything new goin' on?"

"I've got something," Liz offered, looking at each of them in turn. "I actually thought about it last night when I couldn't sleep; I think the last nightmare might've triggered it."

"What?"

"Kyle's grandfather was the sheriff of Roswell years ago, way before his dad was elected to the position." She squeezed Max's hand when she felt him tense up at the mention of her ex-boyfriend. "He used to talk about him after he'd come back from visiting him; he was sure that his dad wouldn't go see him because he was embarrassed."

Max made a rolling motion with his free hand, silently telling her to go on.

"Kyle's grandfather believed in aliens, he was always talking about them, and he felt like his dad didn't wanna be seen with him because of what it might do to his reputation."

"What're you saying?" Max asked.

"Kyle said after his grandfather was committed, his dad closed the house up and never went back there. Max, what if he wasn't crazy? What if he really did know something and the evidence is still there in the house?" Liz could barely contain her enthusiasm at the thought that she might be able to help Max discover something about his past if her theory about Kyle's grandfather was right. He had never come right out and said that he wanted to know, but she could read between the lines and she knew he had questions about where he came from and why he was on Earth.

Max remained silent for a minute, thinking about what Liz had said. _What if she was onto something? _ "Did he tell you where the house is?"

"It's all the way on the other side of town, way out past the old soap factory. His grandfather was also obsessed with his privacy; that part of town was never developed. There was talk about it, but when the old soap factory was shut down those plans fell through."

"Kyle was sure his dad never goes out there?" Max asked.

"Yeah."

Alex groaned when the bell rang, signaling the end of their lunch period. "We should go out there and have a look around."

"We could go this weekend," Liz suggested. "They're going out of town Friday night and they won't be back until Sunday morning." She shrugged when Max frowned. "Kyle has an elimination competition Saturday; the statewide rifle competition is in February."

"Yeah, because the name Kyle Valenti and the word rifle should ever be used in the same sentence," Alex muttered as he stood and stretched. "I don't have any plans for Saturday so I'm in."

"I'll talk to Isabel and make sure she's onboard," Max said as he and Liz walked beside him, their joined hands swinging between them.

"The two of you need to stop tryin' to handle other people." Alex stepped in front of them, effectively blocking their path. "Stop tryin' to handle their emotions; Isabel and Maria will find a way to deal with the things that're goin' on, but not according to your schedules. They've got a lot goin' on and it doesn't make it any easier if they've got you two constantly breathin' down their necks."

"He gets really irritable when he's not sleeping," Liz explained when Alex turned and hurried inside to beat the final bell.

"So, we'll plan on Saturday?"

"Saturday it is," she agreed.

Liz hoped they would find something… information, a clue… she hoped she hadn't raised Max's hopes for nothing. She didn't want him to end up being disappointed if they didn't discover anything at Kyle's grandfather's house.


	8. Chapter 8

**Part 8**

Amy glanced around at the long line of tables set up on both sides of the road that led into the reservation, impressed with the layout of art and jewelry. The first weekend of each month provided the Native Americans with a big tourist turnout and helped to financially carry many of the families over into the next month. It was a big event and many of the residents on the reservation turned out for it, taking the opportunity to catch up with each other on their own territory. She knew circumstances forced most to seek employment in Ruidoso and this gave them a chance to get back to their roots and connect with their own people. It was important to them to maintain their connection with their past and their traditions, and to pass them down to the next generation.

"Did you need me to do anything else, Mom?"

She smiled at her daughter's rushed tone, easily hearing the undercurrent of excitement beneath it. "No, we're finished setting up and I know you have other things to do. I have a couple of buyers coming out to see some of the larger pieces that are available so enjoy your date and don't rush because I'll be here all day."

"Hey, look, there's Maria!"

Michael lunged for his sister in a hopeless attempt to silence her before she could draw attention to the fact that he was on his way to meet a girl. "Maggie, no!" he hissed when she got away from him.

"Hi, Maria!" she shouted, drawing the blonde's gaze.

He mumbled a long litany of curses under his breath as several dozen people turned to see what was going on. As if it weren't bad enough that she had called attention to him in front of everyone, she had to go and compound his embarrassment by dragging their parents over to meet Maria and her mother. He shuffled along behind them, doing his best to prolong the inevitable.

Catherine did her best not to laugh when the dark-haired woman suddenly embraced him. Her son was not one of the most affectionate people and outside of his family he didn't receive affection well. Michael tended to present a negative attitude and people who didn't know him generally gave him plenty of space.

"You must be Michael," Amy greeted him. "I've heard so much about you from Maria," she said as she released him and stepped back. "It's been a while since I've seen her smile so often." She reached out to pat his cheek and smiled at him. "Thank you," she whispered.

Catherine cleared her throat and shifted to control the laugh that wanted so badly to escape; she couldn't tell who was the most uncomfortable, Michael or Maria. She glanced at her husband when he coughed quietly and pretended interest in an assortment of hand-carved walking sticks on the table next to him. She nudged him with her elbow and when he looked up at her she could see their son's smirk reflected on his face. Michael wasn't theirs by birth but she had seen so many of John's expressions and traits develop in him over the years.

Maria rushed to put an end to her mother's little impromptu speech before she had the chance to embarrass her or Michael any further. "Okay, Mom, we have somewhere we need to be." She hugged her mother quickly and grabbed Michael's arm, pulling him along with her as fast as she could.

Michael shot a warning look in his sister's direction even though he knew that it wouldn't do any good. She was storing away every moment of the utterly embarrassing and humiliating past few minutes so that she could pull them out of her arsenal and use them to torment him at some point in the near future.

"I am so sorry," she apologized as soon as they were out of hearing range. "My mom – "

"So, you talk about me a lot, huh?"

All thoughts of apologizing fled at his suddenly smug tone. "Do you want to go back over there and talk to my mom for a little while longer?"

"No!" Michael grabbed her hand when she stopped, keeping her beside him as he continued walking towards the truck. "Does your mom always go around huggin' people she doesn't know?" he grumbled. "What made her think I'm a huggable guy?"

"_I_ think you're huggable," she admitted with a sly smile.

Michael's eyebrows shot up at her admission and he rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. "Yeah, well, it's different if _you_ wanna think it." He pulled the passengers' side door open and motioned for her to get inside. His gaze raked over her as she slid onto the bench seat and he smiled in appreciation when the pink tee shirt rode up just enough to expose a thin strip of her midriff.

Maria shifted so she could watch Michael as he settled in the drivers' seat, doing her best not to smile when he hurriedly turned the air conditioner on full blast and slapped all but one of the vents in his direction.

"So, did Potter deliver the pump on Thursday?"

He cleared his throat and checked the street before pulling out. "Yeah. I've gotta admit I didn't think he'd actually deliver it, but he did."

"Then you're already finished with it?"

"Uh-huh, got done with it last night." He flexed his right hand before wrapping it around the gearshift and changing gears, downshifting and slowing down when they reached his house.

Maria's eyes followed the movement but her gaze quickly focused on the road once more when she realized he hadn't stopped at his house.

"Where're we going?"

He snorted. "The barn; Mom kinda frowns on it if we keep the horses in the house." He parked next to the small building and got out before she had the opportunity to form what he was certain would be a scathing remark. He led the way inside when she scrambled after him, stopping in the tack room to pick up a couple of bridles before continuing on his way to the third stall. "Maggie said it'd be okay if you take Rascal out."

He shook his head when he looked at Maria and saw her hesitant expression. "Don't worry; she's well-mannered and she won't give you any trouble." He grinned at her as he swung the stall door open. "Don't let the name fool ya," he reassured her, slipping the bridle into place and leading the golden-colored horse out into the breezeway. "Here." He handed the reins to her and shut the door. "Hold her while I get Sundance."

"Okay." Maria followed him once more and was surprised when the large animal walked beside her. She moved to the side when he came out leading a horse with a gray coat, and hurried to step back when the animal whinnied loudly. "What's it doing?" she asked, staring at it with wide eyes.

"He's just sayin' hello." Michael patted the gelding's neck and led the way back outside. "We don't get a lot of visitors out this way, do we, Sundance?" He looped the reins over the top rail of the corral before reaching for Rascal's reins and repeating the action. "And the motormouth trio doesn't count. I'm gonna go grab a couple of saddles."

Maria stared at the two horses while he was gone, wondering what exactly she had agreed to. She had never been horseback riding in her life and the last thing she wanted was to do something stupid in front of Michael and completely embarrass herself. She was going to die if she fell off or ended up looking like a fool because she didn't know what she was doing.

Michael came back carrying two saddles that he hefted up onto the top rail of the fence. He reached for the saddle blankets draped over the fence and placed them over the backs of the horses. "Keeps the horses from developing saddle sores," he explained when he looked up and caught her questioning look. Once the animals were geared up he picked up the rifle she hadn't noticed before and slid it into a leather scabbard attached to his saddle.

"What's the gun for?"

"Just a precaution," he answered as he motioned for her to join him beside Rascal. "It's been a dry season and as a result we've had a problem with some of the wildlife comin' in closer to home."

Maria stared at him, trying to decide if he was being serious or not. "What kinda wildlife are you talkin' about?"

"Mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, and occasionally a bear."

"You actually think you're gonna need to shoot something?"

Michael shrugged. "Well, I'd prefer not to, but if I have no choice… Why? You got a problem with guns?"

Her lower lip jutted out in a pout. "No, it's not that, I've just never really been around guns. You may have noticed that my mom's a hippie. Y'know, make love, not war?"

"Uh-huh, well, we probably won't need it, but it's better to be safe." He bent over in front of her, his fingers laced together to form a cradle. "Now c'mon, gimme your foot and I'll give you a leg up."

"What?"

He looked up at her. "Grab hold of the saddle horn, put your foot in my hands, and pull yourself up when I give you a boost."

"Oh. Well, okay." Maria wrapped her hands around the saddle horn and held on for dear life when she suddenly found herself astride the large animal.

Michael bit back a smile when she held on as if she was certain that she would fall if she relaxed her grip. "This will be much easier if you loosen up," he advised.

"What if it takes off running?" she asked when he placed the reins in her hands.

"Rascal is very well-behaved and I promise you'll be perfectly safe. All you have to do is pull back on the reins if she…" He paused a moment. "Would you be a little more comfortable if there was no possibility of her doin' somethin' unexpected like that?"

"There's a way to do that? How? Do you communicate with horses like that horse whisperer guy?"

Michael cleared his throat and patted Rascal's neck before he reached up to take the reins back from her. "No, there will be no whisperin' goin' on." He looped the reins around the top rail of the fence once more. "Hold on a sec, okay? I'll be right back."

She reached out to tentatively stroke the mare's neck, surprised that it was so smooth. He was back a few moments later with a rope in his hands and she watched him as he reached up and hooked the metal snap at one end to one of the rings that connected the reins to the bridle. After handing the reins to her once more he wrapped the opposite end of the rope around his own saddle horn, gathered up his reins, and swung up into the saddle.

"Ready?"

Maria nodded. "As I'll ever be."

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Liz hurried down the stairs and through the swinging door that led out into the dining area of her family's restaurant. Max and Isabel were supposed to be coming by soon to meet her and Alex so they could go out and investigate the old sheriff's house. Alex was already in their regular booth near the back and his attention was divided between the mountain of food on his plate and the open textbook on his right side.

She shook her head as she slid onto the bench seat across from him; the amount of food he managed to put away never ceased to amaze her.

"Y'know, when I picked this art class as an elective I had no idea there'd be so much required reading for it," he complained as he reached for the maple syrup and proceeded to drown his blueberry pancakes.

"I thought you were gonna do that last night?" Liz reached over and took a slice of his toast when he nudged the smaller plate towards her. "You said you didn't wanna worry about homework this weekend."

Alex shrugged. "That was before I found out there was an X-Files marathon on TV last night."

Liz rolled her eyes as she spread strawberry jelly on her toast, well aware of his fondness for the show.

"I've got most of it done already; I've only got about a dozen pages left to read and then I'll be finished."

He quickly became absorbed in his homework once more and Liz slouched down in her seat, watching the few customers left over from the breakfast rush. Her gaze moved to the door automatically when it opened and her eyes widened when the sheriff walked in and sat on one of the stools at the counter.

"Mornin', Sheriff," her dad called, filling a cup with coffee and carrying it over to the other man.

The sheriff nodded and removed his mirrored sunglasses. "Jeff."

_Why was he there?_ Liz wondered. _He and Kyle should've already been gone for their weekend. _"C'mon, Dad, ask him already."

Alex looked up from his reading, turning his head to see what had captured her interest. "What's he doin' here?" he muttered, knowing that their plan hinged on the sheriff being out of town for the weekend.

"Doesn't your boy have an elimination competition this weekend?"

Liz mentally cheered when her father finally asked the question.

"Um-hmm. We're leavin' here in half an hour; had to break up another party at the old soap factory last night and the paperwork involved took hours to finish."

"So, have you heard anything about those guys involved in the shooting?" Jeff inquired, his tone concerned.

The question brought Liz back to the day in question, the day when everything had changed, the day that was responsible for causing her to have nightmares that left her breathless and afraid in her own bed.

_The Crashdown had been nearly deserted in the interim between breakfast and lunch and Liz had been leaning on the counter talking to Alex when an argument had broken out between two men seated in a booth near the front of the restaurant. Their behavior had been edgy and aggressive but they hadn't bothered any of the other customers so she had been more than happy to leave them alone._

_Her father had gone to run some errands and wasn't supposed to be back until time for the lunch rush. Jose, the cook, was in the back and Alex was close by, but she didn't think either of them would be much of a match for the two guys whose argument was escalating and getting louder._

_She had barely had time to register the presence of the gun one of the men began to wave around when she heard the gunshot. She had felt a white-hot burning sensation in her right side and she suddenly realized that she was staring up at the ceiling tiles, her fuzzy mind trying to make sense of what was happening. Her limbs felt heavy, she felt cold all over, sounds were muffled, and her vision was starting to go dark around the edges._

_Out of nowhere a face had appeared above her; she was sure she recognized him but she didn't know why. He kept urging her to look at him, his voice was strained and even in her groggy state she could sense the urgency beneath it, compelling her to force her eyes to remain open._

_As she was regaining her ability to control her limbs she became aware of… Max, his name was Max… he was shaking ketchup out over her abdomen and telling her that she had fallen and the bottle had broken. She stood up on shaky legs, trying to understand what had happened as she looked around. The two men who had been arguing were gone, Max had rushed out of the restaurant and jumped into the jeep waiting at the curb with his sister behind the wheel, and Liz had momentarily forgotten about them when she saw Alex hauling himself up off of the floor._

"_Alex? Are you okay?"_

"_Yeah, I was tryin' to get to you and I slipped and managed to whack my head on the counter. Some help I was," he muttered, holding his aching head. He held his hand out in front of him, scowling at the blood there. "Hey, what was Evans doin' down there with you?_

_Liz glanced down at her uniform, her fingers playing with the ragged edges of the small hole hidden beneath the ketchup. "I um, he was just making sure I was okay."_

_Alex suddenly sat up straighter. "Are you? You fell after that gun went off…" His gaze lowered to her ketchup-covered uniform. "I was sure you had been shot."_

"_Oh, no, the gunshot startled me and I knocked over the ketchup when I fell." _

"_I could've sworn you had been shot."_

_She reached out to touch his arm. "You hit your head, Alex; would I be standing here if__I'd been shot?"_

"_That's a good point." He nodded at the sheriff's deputy entered the restaurant and he motioned over his shoulder. "I'm gonna go clean up, okay?"_

_Liz had talked to the sheriff, his deputy, and her parents for more than an hour before they had finally allowed her to leave and go upstairs to clean up. She had paused at the table Max and his sister had been sitting at before the shooting and her mind had been whirling like crazy as she stared at the lone pencil lying beside the napkin dispenser._

_Once in her room, she had quickly changed out of her uniform and pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt before balling the uniform up and shoving it in her backpack. She had been fascinated by biology and science since she was a little girl and her attention had turned once more to the pencil she had taken from the table downstairs. She checked to make sure her door was locked before collecting her microscope and a few slides and sitting at her desk. _

_Even thought she had watched the sheriff's deputy remove the bullet from the wall, she knew she had been shot; now she had to find an explanation for the lack of a bullet hole in her abdomen when there was clearly one in her uniform._

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Two hours later, she had found herself standing at Max Evans' front door, ringing the doorbell without the slightest idea of what she was going to say to him. He had tried to avoid her questions at first, but she had come prepared, armed with evidence taken from the pencil he had left behind; his cells weren't quite human and while she had expected the answer he had given her, part of her had resisted it. The explanation Max had given had been incredible and unbelievable, but deep down she had believed him when he had told her that he was an alien. He had healed her after removing the bullet, removing any traces of blood and tissue from it before using his powers to send it across the room where it lodged in the wall to be discovered later._

_Liz had walked back home in a state of shock. Aliens existed and they lived in Roswell. Could it be more ironic? Max, her lab partner, was an alien. Did it change things for her? Was Max different in her eyes? She stopped walking and sat on a bench, trying to organize her thoughts. Max had been so scared as he had begged her to not reveal the truth to anyone. He had warned her that if this information fell into the wrong hands he and his sister Isabel would be in great danger! Because Isabel was also an alien… which explained many things for Liz; such as why Isabel was always so proper and trendy. She just had to wave her hand to have the newest makeup or to turn the most ordinary skirt into a fashionable one._

_Liz sighed. She had seen enough movies and TV shows to know what could happen to them if people working for the government got their hands on them. They would be tortured, experimented on, grilled for information they didn't even have since they didn't know anything about themselves, if there were others like them, or where they came from. They could even be killed just for being different. She had to keep Max and Isabel's secret at all costs. It was a matter of life and death and she would do anything to protect them. Max had risked exposure just to save her life, an act that proved that he was a good guy and that he could be trusted. With that last thought she got up and returned home, still lost in her thoughts._

_Alex had come by later that evening to check on her and to ask her once again what had happened earlier because he wasn't buying the ketchup story. "C'mon, Liz, it's me," he said, needing her to tell him the truth. "You can't keep tellin' me this ridiculous story about ketchup and expect me to really believe it! I saw you fall; you didn't trip on anything, Liz, you were shot!"_

"_Alex, you saw the deputy collect the bullet; if I had been shot the bullet wouldn't have been in the wall," Liz answered in a tired voice. God, would this day ever come to an end?_

"_Maybe I can't explain it, but I know what I saw" Alex insisted._

"_Liz!" Nancy Parker called, her voice startling Liz and Alex. _

"_I'm gonna go see what she wants," she said, standing up and slowly walking over to the door, her movements expressing her exhaustion loud and clear. "I'll be right back."_

_Alex had looked around the room after she had stepped out, conveniently closing the door behind herself. An idea had started to take form in his mind as he glanced around the familiar room. He had been hesitant at first, but this was an opportunity he couldn't pass up; he knew what he had witnessed and he knew that Liz was hiding something big. So he had looked through her closet and checked a couple of the drawers in her dresser before he had turned around and seen her backpack wedged between the bed and nightstand. He wasn't normally this nosy but he knew something was going on and he was worried about Liz. Besides, he rationalized, if Maria were there, she would have been doing the exact same thing. _

_Placing the backpack on the bed he unzipped it and pulled the crumpled up uniform out, shaking it out so he could look closer at the… His eyes narrowed when they settled on the small, ragged hole nearly hidden beneath the mixture of ketchup and blood. There was a distinct difference between dried ketchup and dried blood and it was easy to see that both were present on the material._

_Liz had come back into her room a few minutes later, quickly shutting the door when she realized what Alex had uncovered. Her heart started to pound as he moved towards her, but instead of demanding an answer to her obvious lies, he had wrapped his long arms around her and hugged her tightly. "Are you all right?" he demanded gently, his voice filled with concern._

"_I'm fine, Alex."_

"_You're sure? Have you been to the hospital? Been checked out by a doctor? There's a bullet hole in your uniform, Liz, and you're standin' here uninjured; how do you explain that? It's not possible, scientifically or – "_

_Liz had been trapped; she hadn't had any other choice but to tell him the truth. At first he had been worried that she was suffering from a head injury or some sort of trauma but she had finally convinced him that she was lucid and that Max Evans was indeed an__alien. She had made him promise to keep the secret, explaining that Max had asked her to do the same because of the danger involved if the truth was ever revealed and the wrong people found out. _

_Alex had promised to keep the secret; Max Evans had saved his best friend's life and he would forever be in his debt. But first Alex had pointed out that Liz had to do something with her uniform. She couldn't just hide it or destroy it because her parents would wonder where it had gone and the last thing they needed were more questions. Finally, Alex had suggested going back to Max and asking him to use his powers to restore the uniform to its original form._

_They had talked for a long time before they had heard the commotion downstairs and moments later, Maria had burst through the door, dropping several shopping bags in her haste to rush to her friends and embrace them. _

"_Your dad just told me what happened!" she exclaimed, moving back to examine both of them for any injuries. _

_Maria had listened to their story, horrified by the danger that her friends had been in. "So, other than Alex hitting his head on the counter and you falling on the floor and being hit with a bottle of ketchup, you guys are okay?"_

"_We're fine, Maria," Liz had assured her. "I promise." She had flung herself back on her bed and motioned to the shopping bags. "So, what'd you buy in Albuquerque?" she asked, hoping to redirect her best friend's attention._

_Maria's attention had been successfully diverted and she had gone on to empty her bags onto the bed, pulling out different items to show them off. _

"_I think I'll leave you ladies to your fashion show," Alex said, hugging Liz once more._

"_Afraid to see that much female flesh, Alex?" Maria had asked, unable to resist teasing him._

"_Only when it comes to one of my 'sisters'," he said, his tone joking. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." _

_He had paused at the door, and he had exchanged a look with Liz that Maria had been unaware of. They were linked by the secret and for the first time in their lives it was a secret that Maria wasn't involved in._

Liz was brought back to the present when Alex nudged her under the table. She glanced over at the counter and realized that while she had been lost in her memories the sheriff had taken his leave.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just remembering the day of the shooting," she said quietly.

Alex nodded, understanding where her thoughts had taken her. Neither of them had ever expected that day to be the beginning of the end of their relationship with Maria, and they both knew that until they were able to tell her the truth, they weren't going to be able to even attempt to fix things with her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Part 9**

Isabel followed the others silently as they made their way past overgrown brush and weeds to get to the front door of the abandoned house. She wasn't sure this was a very smart plan but apparently she had been overruled and outvoted and they were going to be investigating, whether she approved or not. She paid close attention to Alex as he made a big production of not disturbing the area, and she rolled her eyes when he stopped Max from reaching out to touch the brass plate that covered the lock on the front door. When he shrugged out of his backpack and unzipped it to pull out a handful of latex gloves, she was ready to go back to the jeep and just leave them all there.

"What're you doing?" Max asked.

"Obviously we don't expect to get caught, but if anyone were to come out here and realize that someone's been snoopin' around they might check for fingerprints." He shrugged and held the gloves out to Max. "Better to be safe than sorry, right?"

"Good thinking."

Isabel just barely kept from saying something disparaging at Max's easy capitulation; it was unnecessary to take the precaution since either of them could easily erase any evidence of their visit with little more than the wave of a hand. She watched them don the gloves and accepted the pair Max handed to her without responding to his warning look, but only shoved them into her pocket. She pretended not to notice the wounded expression Alex wore at her action, pushing past them and entering the house as soon as the door was unlocked and pushed inward.

"I guess Kyle wasn't kiddin' when he said his dad just locked the place up and never came back," Alex mused as he looked around the room, taking in the thick layer of dust covering every available surface and the cobwebs hanging from everything.

"This is disgusting," Isabel muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. She huffed in annoyance when the others simply ignored her and separated, moving to different rooms in search of possible clues. Left alone, she wandered around what was obviously the living room, stopping at a bookshelf to browse the dusty titles arranged there. It was an odd mix of mythology, science fiction, and astronomy, and she rolled her eyes at some of the more absurd titles.

Waving her right hand over the three shelves in the bookshelf, she smirked when the dust and cobwebs disappeared into thin air. She pulled the books down one by one, glancing through them cover to cover, before placing them back on the shelves.

"What a waste of time," she muttered.

"How can something that might possibly lead to a discovery about your past be a waste of time?"

Isabel whirled around and stared at Alex, irritated that he had snuck up on her and she hadn't even suspected that someone else was in the room with her. She didn't know how she had allowed herself to relax to that degree and she glared at him in an attempt to express her displeasure at being interrupted.

"He was obsessed with aliens and alien abductions, Alex!" She waved her hand in the direction of the bookshelf. "How can you possibly think any of this is going to help? Do you honestly think that just because you know about us, you suddenly have some insight into how it feels to be us?"

"I can understand that after hiding for your entire life it must be unsettling for us to suddenly know about you, but is it really a bad thing? Liz and I… we're not gonna hurt you, Isabel. Is it that difficult to believe that someone knows the truth and still wants to help you? Or that we're not gonna run out and blab to the tabloids or the authorities? You don't have to be afraid of us."

Isabel drew herself up to her full height, staring down her nose at him with one perfect eyebrow raised in superiority. "I'm not afraid of anything," she stated icily. "And why would I ever be afraid of you? You could tell everyone you know… all five or six of the other band geeks at school that you associate with… you could tell all of them what you know about us and they wouldn't believe you. We live in Roswell, New Mexico for God's sake, Alex."

She shook her head. "Who in their right mind would believe that aliens actually live here of all places? And why would they believe that these aliens chose to reveal their secret to someone like you?"

Alex nodded when she reached the end of her angry tirade. He knew she had gone on the attack out of fear, but knowing it didn't make her words cut any less. "I suppose you're right," he agreed quietly. "Maybe it wouldn't make any difference if I went out and shared what I know with the world at large, maybe no one would believe me, maybe I am that insignificant, but, you know what? At least I don't go around lying to myself about what I feel. I don't go around pretending to be someone I'm not."

"What would you suggest we do, Alex? Do you even have any idea what the government would do if they knew about us? There's a reason that we pretend to be – "

"I'm not talkin' about the lies you have to tell to maintain your secret, Isabel." Alex shook his head as he regarded her thoughtfully. "You're a lot smarter than people give you credit for; you're not just a dumb blonde who has no brain outside of a fashion magazine. I can see why you allow that belief to be perpetuated, why you let people go around thinkin' you have no clue what they're sayin' behind your back, and I guess I can understand to some degree, but I don't understand why you insist on keeping that façade up around the few people who know the truth. You pretend to be this untouchable, unreachable person with ice in her veins… I don't know, maybe you've been lyin' to yourself for so long that you actually believe that's who you are." He shook his head again. "But it's not, Isabel, it's not who you are."

--------------------------------------------------

Max moved around in the confines of the small room that had served as an office for the man who had at one time been the sheriff of Roswell. The man's apparent descent into madness was documented throughout the house and it was most prominent in the research books, notebooks filled with nearly illegible scrawls, and pictures of alien autopsies that were obvious fakes.

He glanced at the doorway when he heard the raised voices coming from the front of the house before his gaze dropped back to the photographs. He waved his hand over them, leaving them as little more than blurry, unrecognizable images. He was certain that they weren't authentic but Isabel didn't need to see them either way. Her fear of discovery wasn't unfounded but he had no intention of feeding that terror, knowing how easily it could spiral out of control.

"Have you found anything?"

He looked up at Liz when she came into the room and he shook his head. "No, not yet. So far it's mostly what you'd expect the average UFO-nut to collect." He shrugged and picked up the next stack of notebooks, pulling out loose papers that were sticking out in every possible direction.

"What do you think's going on out there?" Liz asked, waving her hand towards the living room where Alex and Isabel were conducting their own search.

Max turned his head and winced when he heard his sister's voice getting louder, but not loud enough to distinguish the words. "I think Alex is going to regret it if he keeps pushing her." He finished flipping through the notebooks and dropped them on the corner of the desk he had designated for the things he had already gone through and deemed useless. He looked around and sighed as he felt the beginnings of frustration and doubt begin to creep in.

"Max, we'll – "

The sound of glass breaking had them running back to the front of the house and they piled into the doorway. Alex was leaning against the arm of the couch, his hand raised to the right side of his face. A small line of blood had trickled down from underneath his hand and he turned his head to the side to wipe it on his shirtsleeve. Isabel had moved to the opposite side of the room, her hands clenched tightly at her sides to control the trembling.

Liz was the first to react, hurrying to her friend's side and pushing his hand away to look at the wound. "What happened?"

"Don't worry about it, Liz, it's just a scratch." He wrapped his hand around her wrist to stop her fussing. "Liz, seriously, it's okay."

"Isabel, what happened?" Max asked, doing his best not to crowd her. He glanced at the shattered glass lying on the floor not far from Alex and quickly put two and two together. It was rare that losing her temper culminated in things exploding but it wasn't unheard of and he wondered what Alex had said to push her to that point.

"I want to go home."

Max nodded and handed her the keys. "We're right behind you." He waited until she had gone before he crossed to the window that had lost its battle with her temper and fixed it with a wave of his hand. "I'm sorry about that, Alex." He turned to look at the other two people in the room. "I can heal that if you – "

Alex shook his head and chuckled as he waved the offer off. "It's just a scratch. I was pushin' her pretty hard and I think maybe it was too much too soon." His gray gaze followed Liz as she sat down on the couch behind him and started going through a stack of mail. "I don't want it healed and I don't want you to apologize for her."

Max was about to protest when Liz started ripping an envelope open. "Liz, what're you doing?" he asked, concerned.

"There's a key inside, Max!" She flipped the envelope over and dropped the key out onto the table before pulling a couple of sheets of paper out and unfolding them. "Max, look… it's in some kind of code," she whispered hoarsely.

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Michael pulled back on the reins and Sundance stopped on cue, his head turning from side to side as he checked out his surroundings. He quickly lost interest and turned his attention to the blades of green grass that defied Mother Nature to grow in the area.

"Is this where we're goin'?" Maria asked, fervently hoping he was going to say yes.

"Yeah." Michael dismounted in one effortless motion before walking around Sundance to give Maria a hand. "Put all of your weight on your left foot, hold onto the saddle horn, swing your right leg over her back, and you're home free." He held Rascal's bridle to keep her still while Maria dismounted and he refrained from commenting on her less than graceful landing. "Let me take care of the horses and then we'll walk the rest of the way."

"Um, walk?" Maria grimaced at the thought of further movement but quickly masked her expression when he looked at her. "Is it far?"

"Huh-uh, no." He pointed at the rocky incline behind her. "We're just gonna go up there; it's only a couple hundred yards or so."

"Okay." As soon as he turned back to securing the horses, Maria leaned over to briskly rub her thighs. She stared at the animals and a dozen disparaging thoughts ran through her mind. _People really did this for fun? Why? _She didn't even want to think about the condition she'd be in if she hadn't decided to wear jeans. By morning, she was going to be agonizingly sore in places that she didn't even want to think about.

"You okay?" Michael asked as he unwrapped the canteen strap from the saddle horn and removed the rifle. He was sure she had to be a bit sore since she wasn't accustomed to horseback riding and she hadn't yet complained out loud, but he had a feeling it was coming.

Maria debated her answer for less than a heartbeat before vocalizing her earlier thoughts. "You didn't tell me how painful this was gonna be. People in the movies never look like they're the slightest bit uncomfortable."

"If you're gonna be a big baby about it we can go back."

Maria couldn't believe his challenging tone. "I'm just saying you could've warned me." She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of backing down.

He nodded. "Parts of the ground are pretty rocky and unstable so stay behind me." He took the lead, releasing the smirk he had been holding back; her refusal to admit defeat was something he both respected and admired. He suspected that she had a stubborn streak that probably rivaled his own and he couldn't wait to discover if he was right.

He heard her muttered curse when she momentarily lost her footing and he turned to offer her his hand, this time expecting the jolt of electricity that occurred as soon as their skin made contact. He nodded at an opening in the rocks above. "Once we're through, there we're where we need to be."

Maria bent over to catch her breath as soon as they reached a flat surface and he indicated that they had reached their destination. She turned her head to watch Michael lean the rifle up against the rocky wall that rose up on three sides and towered over them, forming a room of sorts. She shifted her gaze away from him and focused on the smooth slab of rock they were standing on, frowning when she noticed that it ended nearly a dozen feet out. She straightened up and walked closer to the edge to look down… way down… and hurried to move back away from the edge.

"Best view in the county," Michael said proudly as he took a few steps closer to her and pointed at something in the distance. "It's not as clear right now because there's still some fog hanging over them, but when it clears there'll be an awesome view of Sierra Blanca's snow-capped peaks."

Maria looked across the valley that spanned the distance between them and the mountains he was pointing at. "Isn't there a ski resort there?"

"Yeah, it brings a lot of tourists through, especially this time of year." He stared at the mountain and shrugged as he crossed his arms over his chest. "It's good for business."

"You don't like tourists?" Maria asked.

"I don't like that they're necessary for the survival of so many families on the Rez; that we've become nothin' more than a tourist attraction," Michael ranted, his tone angry.

_Ouch… dangerous topic… risky subject…_ the time to be diplomatic had arrived. She took a deep breath; she could do this. "Okay, well, that's one way to look at it, but – "

"That's the only way to look at it, Maria." His tone was cutting and his voice resounded in the silence of the desert.

_So, that's what her name sounded like on his lips. _Maria tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she focused on the conversation. "So, you feel pretty strongly about the tourist situation."

"Would you like to have tourists crawlin' all over the place? Right where you live?"

Maria sighed and gritted her teeth. _How could Michael be so… so, forgetful?_ "I live in Roswell, Michael; I _do_ have tourists crawling all over where I live."

Michael winced. _That wasn't good. How had he forgotten that Maria lived in that embarrassment of a town?_ "Good point." He sat down on the ground and leaned back against one of the walls. "You must get a lot of weirdo's through there."

"More than our fair share," she laughed, quickly forgetting her bad mood. She sat down, leaving less than a foot between them. "How'd you find this place?"

Michael pulled his knees up and rested his forearms on them. "I found it a couple years ago while I was out ridin'; no one else knows about it."

Maria looked at him, her expression pensive. "You spend a lot of time by yourself, don't you?"

His head snapped to the side and he glared at her. "Why do you say that?"

Her eyebrows shot up. "Just an observation. God, are you this defensive about everything?"

"Are you this nosy about everything?" he snapped. His eyebrows lifted in surprise when she actually seemed to ponder his question.

"Yeah, pretty much." She made a waving motion around them. "So, what's so special about this place?"

"You ever seen a herd of wild horses?"

"I've seen them on TV." Her gaze bounced from him to the valley floor below and back to him again. "You have them here?"

"Little known fact; very few people outside of the Rez know that they're here. There aren't that many herds of wild horses left in the country because their populations have nearly been wiped out."

"They're dying off? Becoming extinct?" Maria asked, shocked. _How was it possible for horses to become instinct, in her own country?_ _And at a time when ecologists and activists were everywhere, fighting to save endangered species, the environment, historical landmarks... she even knew some of them!_

"They're dyin' off, but it's not a natural occurrence. A lot of ranchers will round 'em up and shoot 'em to keep 'em off of their land because the horses graze on the same land that their cattle use."

"So they just kill them?" She inhaled sharply when he nodded. "There must be another way to solve the problem."

"Ranchers aren't willin' to search for alternatives. Killin' the horses is a quick, efficient way for them to deal with the problem. The herd we have here was originally in Nevada, but the pastures they were grazin' on belonged to several ranchers, so they got together and went out on horseback, in jeeps, and in helicopters and chased the herd out to a part of the property with a big drop-off and they ran the horses over it."

He shook his head. "Santana – he's the stallion that runs the herd – he tried chasin' 'em off, and his lead mare, Mirage, was shot high in the shoulder when she charged a couple of guys who had cornered Santana and were tryin' to force him over the edge."

He stood and walked to the edge of the rocky shelf and stared out into the distance. "My grandfather has a friend who lives up there and he and some friends were able to stop the ranchers before they could kill the entire herd. He got in contact with River Dog and they made arrangements to transport what was left of them down here. There were only about a dozen horses left in Santana's herd when they were released onto our land and now there are almost thirty."

Maria watched him as he talked, listening to the admiration that crept into his voice as he described animals that he obviously respected. He had a connection with nature, a deep respect for it that she had never seen in anyone else, and he seemed to forget everything around him when he was talking about the things that were so important to him.

"They come through here to get to the river," he said, turning back around. "My dad keeps water troughs set out for 'em when the river starts getting low and we keep hay set out for 'em when the winters are bad, which, let's face it, is not that often."

"Maybe not, but it's nice that you guys make sure they're taken care of." Maria watched him as he sat down on the ledge and let his legs hang over the side. Michael was so different from the guys in school, guys who's only goals were to get into every girls pants, play tricks on each other, or do other disgusting things she didn't even want to think about. He was nothing like the guys she observed while waitressing at the Crashdown, the tourists obsessed with UFOs, the geeks, or the truckers who stopped by occasionally. Michael was in touch with nature, he had passion, and he was the kind of guy who fought for what he believed in. She smiled. She liked that. "You have a very strong connection with things here, don't you?"

He turned his head to look at her and shrugged. "I guess growin' up on the Rez, you kinda learn how important it is to see and understand the connection between everything in nature."

Maria shook her head in denial. "It just seems like it's not something you've learned so much as it's a part of who you are." She looked around, startled when the slab of rock they were sitting on started to vibrate.

Michael smirked at her expression and motioned for her to move closer to him. "It's just Santana's herd. When they're runnin', you can feel it in the ground for several miles."

Maria moved closer to him, but carefully left a respectable distance between the edge of the slab and her. She followed his pointing finger when he raised his arm.

"They'll be comin' from the south; just watch that line of boulders to the left and you'll see 'em in a few minutes."

"Oh my God!" He heard her awed gasp a few minutes later and without any warning he felt her hands settle on his shoulders and her body press against his back. "Look at them!" She rested her right arm on his shoulder and pointed at the two horses running at the front of the herd. "Santana and Mirage," she guessed.

"Um-hmm. She was named Mirage because when the sunlight or moonlight hits the sand just right her coloring allows her to blend in so well that you can't tell if you're seein' her or if it's just a trick of the light." He leaned back into her when she moved back slightly, his body automatically following hers. He rarely initiated personal contact and as a rule he avoided attempts by others to initiate it, so he refused to think about what it meant when Maria shifted and he moved to maintain contact with her. "Santana would never be able to live in captivity. He was born to be free; it's in his blood… it's who he is."

"They're amazing." The herd slowed and the horses moved around in search of grass to graze on, slowly spreading out while Santana vigilantly watched over them. Mirage remained close to him and it wasn't until her gait slowed and she walked that Maria noticed the pronounced limp the mare walked with. "You said she was shot before they were rescued; didn't she have time to heal before they were released back to the wild?"

"They kept the herd confined when they were first brought here to give her time to heal before they were released into the desert. The vet was able to get the bullet out but Santana took the confinement and her separation from the herd personally and he kicked through the back wall of the barn and two stalls to get to her. She was confined in a sling to keep her immobilized while her shoulder was healing but he chewed through it to free her." He shook his head. "Confinement wasn't an option so a bunch of the locals got together and herded them out into the desert where they could be what they're supposed to be."

Maria was startled by Michael's statement. The decision to bring Mirage back to the desert while she was still healing from the injury seemed like a dangerous one. "But, if she wasn't allowed time to heal properly, and she has that bad limp, doesn't that make her an easy target for other wildlife? I mean, they must come into contact with coyotes and mountain lions, right? Aren't the weakest usually the first to go?"

Michael smiled at Maria's worried questions; she was completely enthralled with Santana and Mirage's story. She was a very good audience and he would be willing to bet that she cried while watching sad movies. "Normally, yes, but, she and Santana have a very strong bond, and he'll never leave her behind."

"I don't know that much about wild animals, but isn't that unusual behavior?" Maria asked, watching him as he contemplated the herd below. Her knees were hurting like hell from kneeling on the hard ground and she had been just about to move and sit beside him when he had leaned back into her. She wasn't certain if it was an intentional move on his part or if it was simply unconscious, but he felt good pressed up against her and she didn't want to move away from him.

"It is unusual and no one can explain it."

She watched Santana move around the herd, his ears twitching and his eyes scanning the desert around him. Mirage lifted her head and followed him with her eyes before nipping at a few blades of grass. "Does he ever rest?"

"When he feels it's safe for 'em. It's usually late in the evening and Mirage watches for trouble while he's restin'. It's probably the only time you'll ever see him actually relax; an' the only time she'll leave his side is if there's danger and the herd needs to be warned. If you ever get the chance to see 'em at night you'll see the bond between them; it's tangible, it's alive, and it's powerful."

"So, he feels safe with her there," Maria concluded.

Michael turned his head to look at her. "It's more than that… it's trust. When he lets his guard down enough to sleep she's right beside him, her neck resting right across his." He turned back to watching the herd. "It's like she's protecting him and for just that brief amount of time he allows it."

"You respect that." Maria could clearly hear the admiration that Michael had for Santana and Mirage, and she wondered if he realized just how closely he resembled the wild horse. Both were loners with a strong protective nature, and that probably explained why Michael felt so strongly about him.

"They understand each other; how can you do anything but respect it?" He took her hand and tugged her around him, encouraging her to sit on the ledge beside him. "You're not afraid of heights are you?"

"Not afraid of them exactly," she answered hesitantly, her right hand gripping his arm tightly as she leaned forward to look down. "I just have a healthy respect for them."

"Meanin' it's not the fall or the distance so much as it is the sudden stop?" He nodded when she shrugged one shoulder and grinned.

Michael leaned back with his palms braced flat on the ground as he tipped his head to one side and watched Maria. Her eyes were focused on Santana and her gaze followed him as he moved around the herd, small ears flicking back and forth as he assessed the area for any signs of danger. He let the unexpected feeling of peace wash over him and refused to let his mind make a connection between the sentiment and the girl beside him. Instead he lost himself in thought, wondering what it would feel like to kiss her.


	10. Chapter 10

Isabel remained silent throughout the ride back into town, blocking out the conversation going on around her, and enduring the overdose of sweetness that always occurred when Max and Liz were forced to separate for more than a minute or two. She managed to avoid most of their conversation as they made plans to meet back up in a couple of hours, and kept her attention focused elsewhere as he and Alex carried on their own discussion on their way to drop him off at his house. It wasn't until they pulled up in front of his house that she tuned them back in.

"I'll give it my best shot, Max." Alex hopped over the side of the jeep and patted his shirt pocket. "I'll let you know as soon as I know anything."

"What's he talking about?" Isabel demanded as soon as Max pulled out into the street.

"He's gonna try to decode the letter Liz found."

"The what?"

Max glanced at her as he stopped at a stop sign. "Liz found a letter while she was going through a stack of papers after you threw your tantrum and ran out."

She glared at him when he put the jeep in gear and guided it through the intersection.

"It was in some sort of code and Alex offered to take a look at it. He has some sort of encryption software that he thinks may help with decoding it."

"That's not very smart." As soon as they reached a stoplight Isabel motioned for him to pull over. "I'm sure you have plans with Liz so just drop me off here."

"Are you sure? I could – "

"Max."

"Fine." He pulled over and waited until after she started making her way along the sidewalk in front of a row of stores before he drove away.

Isabel stayed on her course until she was sure her brother wasn't going to follow her and then she cut through a park that she knew was across from Alex's street. She glanced at his driveway as she crossed the street, noting that there were no cars there and she wondered if his parents were home. She stepped up on his porch and took a deep breath before reaching up and knocking on the door.

The door opened less than a minute later and Alex stared at her. "Um, Isabel, hi. What're you doin' here?" He shook his head and stepped back, motioning over his shoulder. "You uh, you wanna come in?" He swallowed hard when she merely nodded and stepped past him into the house. He closed the door and they stood there in the entryway looking everywhere but at each other. He had no clue what to do now; he hadn't actually expected her to take him up on his offer.

Isabel was in the process of rolling her eyes at his behavior when her gaze glanced over the cut that ran in a thin line from just above his right eyebrow to his temple. Part of her wanted to apologize but another part of her resisted and she cleared her throat and asked a question instead. "My brother said you're gonna be taking a look at some letter?"

"Yeah, it's in some weird code, it may even be some alien language." Once again on comfortable ground, Alex turned and led the way back to his bedroom. "I wanna try to run it through an encryption program I've got to see if it's – "

"Do you think it's smart to do that? What if someone reads what you're doing? That's possible, right? For people to be able to see what other people are doing on their computers without their knowledge?"

"Sure, it's possible, but only if they have the capability to access the computer from a remote location." He shook his head as he entered the room and dropped down at a desk with two computers set up. "I've got two computers," he said, motioning at the equipment. "The second computer isn't hooked up to any outside lines; there's no way possible for anyone to access this system from anywhere but right here."

Isabel glanced around when she realized they were in his bedroom, surprised that it wasn't really all that different from her brother's room.

"So, anyway, I'll scan the letter and run the encryption program to see if it picks up any kind of – "

"Why're you doing this?" she asked, interrupting him. "What makes you even think you or your computer can decode something that's in some obscure code that may or may not be alien in origin?"

"Well, I don't know that I can decode it for sure, but I'm willin' to give it a shot." He turned in his chair to look at her and smiled. "Look, I know you probably don't think I should be allowed to do this, that there's probably no way possible that I – or my computer – can crack this code." He shrugged. "And maybe you're right, I don't know. But, if there's any way that I can do this and help you guys find the answers you're lookin' for then I'm gonna do it." He gestured at a second chair at the other end of the desk. "Have a seat so you can keep an eye on things and make sure I'm not sharin' information with someone else."

Isabel started to protest but he just smiled and shook his head again before turning back to his computer. She pulled the chair out and sat down, watching him as he opened up several different files before he selected one. When he lifted the lid on his scanner and then reached for the letter she sat up straighter, her eyes following every movement he made.

"You're sure no one can access this information? There's no way they can get to it even though you have the scanner hooked up to both computers?"

Alex glanced at her as he placed the letter facedown on the scanner and lowered the lid, and his finger paused above the scan button. "No one can access the information, Isabel. I wouldn't be doin' this if I thought there was even the slightest chance that anyone could get to it. But, if it'll make you feel better…" He stood and leaned over the scanner to detach the line that was connected to the live computer before sitting back down.

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Maria watched as the herd disappeared past an outcropping of rocks and glanced at Michael when he stood up. It was late afternoon and they had spent most of the day sitting on the rocky shelf, talking and watching the horses.

"We should probably start back before your mom thinks I kidnapped you," he said, raising his arms as he stretched. He squinted against the late afternoon sun. "It's gonna be after four by the time we get back an' my mom'll have my hide if I'm late for dinner."

She chuckled and stood, brushing her jeans off before following him through the opening and back down the rocky incline. It was nice to see that he had a healthy fear of his own mother.

"Watch your step comin' down, okay? It's a little trickier getting down than it is goin' up." He carefully picked his way along the rocks, doing his best to keep an eye on her descent as well.

"What would happen if you got hurt out here?" she asked, doing her best to use the same footholds he was using. "No one even knows about this place."

"That would be unfortunate," he muttered, but didn't seem terribly concerned. "I don't really know." He shrugged. "It's never happened, so I don't really worry about it that much." He turned his head to check on her and as her foot came down and hit a patch of loose earth she started to slide. He yelled out a warning when he saw her make a frantic grab for a small bush that was growing in the side of the hill and as her hand wrapped around the thing he lunged for her. His body collided with hers as his right hand shot out, a bright white light emanating from it, and he turned so that the majority of the debris rained down over his back. He dug his left boot into the ground to keep from sliding down the rest of the way and only raised his head once the last of the debris had fallen.

"You okay?" he asked, putting all of his weight on his right hand and leaning away from her to make sure she hadn't been harmed by the debris.

"What?" Maria glanced around at the chunks of fresh earth and the broken rocks lying around them before turning her shocked gaze to him. "What happened?"

"Never grab stuff stickin' out of an unstable hill," he muttered, reaching up to pry the scraggly little bush from her hand. "We're lucky it didn't trigger a bigger landslide and send us both face-first to the bottom."

"Well, what should I have grabbed?" she snapped. "It's really hard to stop and think of all of the many options that aren't there when your life is flashing before your eyes! Well? What was I supposed to grab?"

"Nothin'! If you had just listened and let yourself slide I would've caught you and we would've avoided the dirt bath." His heart was still thumping madly in his chest and his veins were flooded with adrenaline that was probably going to take several hours to dissipate. "This is the kind of stupidity that gets people killed!"

"Do I look dead to you?"

"That is not the point! The point is – "

"That is exactly the point and if you would listen – " Her eyes widened in shock when he silenced her with a kiss and for the briefest of moments she struggled against him before she relaxed beneath him and brought her arms up around him. _He could definitely kiss; there was no doubt about that!_ It wasn't the tentative, questioning kind of first kiss that she normally got from guys; it was demanding and furious, and she completely lost herself in it for what seemed like several endless minutes before his lips gentled on hers and he eased back to look at her.

"My point is, you could've been killed." He shook his head as he forced himself to stand and help her to her feet. "And that's not acceptable." He picked up the rifle and canteen that he had dropped in his haste to reach her.

"Well, no, obviously it's not acceptable." _But if a kiss like that is the end result then a little bit of rocks and dirt might not be all that bad, _she thought with a smirk. He turned when they reached the bottom, his left arm extended to help her the rest of the way down and she winced when she saw the cuts and scrapes on his upper arm. She pushed his arm in towards his body when she reached him so she could examine the wounds.

He hissed when her fingers grazed the fresh cuts and jerked his arm back out of her reach. "Maybe you could not do that since it hurts," he grumbled, cradling the injured limb for a moment before he released it. "You're sure you're okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She followed him over to the horses and watched him hook the canteen over the saddle horn and secure the rifle in the scabbard. She turned to look up at the area where she had lost her footing, her expression thoughtful. "Is there some kinda shiny mineral or something in the soil here?"

"What?" Michael glanced at her before moving to untie the reins. "Not that I know of, why?"

"I'm sure I saw a bright flash or something before you flew at me like Rocky the flying squirrel."

Michael tensed for a moment before he forced himself to relax and lead the horses over to her. "Could've been the sun hittin' somethin' just right." He shrugged. "Sometimes the eyes play tricks on you in the desert."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right. I could've hit my head for all I know and I was just seeing stars." She reached up to rub the back of her head. "Although I don't recall actually hitting my head."

"We should get back," he said before she had time to consider all of the reasons for the flash she thought she had seen. He held Rascal still and helped her up into the saddle before taking Sundance's reins and hauling himself up. He checked to make sure the lead rope that was attached to Rascal's bridle was secured to his saddle horn before he flexed his right hand and gathered the reins up.

Maria respected his unspoken request for silence on the ride back, wondering if the near-miss on the hill had scared him that badly or if he was already regretting the kiss now that he'd had time to think about it. When they reached the barn she watched him as he took care of the horses before driving her back to the Tribal Office where her mom was supposed to be waiting for her. He remained silent throughout the short drive and when he pulled up beside her mom's car and parked the truck he leaned back in the seat and dropped his head back to rest against the window.

"I guess I should go ahead and… go," Maria said, reaching for the door handle.

"No, no, I've got it." He pushed his door open and hurried around the truck to open the door, shutting it as soon as she was out.

"Look, if you're regretting that kiss, you should just tell me now and we can just end this before it goes any further."

Michael frowned. "Why? Do you regret it?"

"What? No, why would – "

And he did it again. Silenced her mid-rant with a mind-blowing kiss that could easily make her forget her own name. Her fingers were sliding into his unruly hair when the sound of whistling broke through the hazy processes of her thoughts and they pulled apart.

Michael considered half a dozen different revenge scenarios when he spotted his sister and her two best friends all sitting on the hood of Linda's jeep wearing identical smirks as they waved.

"She's gonna give you hell over this isn't she?" Maria asked as she reached up to wipe a smudge of lipstick off of his lower lip.

His dark gaze burned into her as it was focused on her once more. "I can take anything she can dish out. Call me when you get home?" he asked as he leaned in for one more quick kiss.

"Sure. You can tell me all about the inquisition she's getting ready to put you through." She stroked his jaw and tipped his head back to meet her gaze. "I am okay," she said, making sure he could see the sincere expression in her eyes. She studied his stormy eyes for a solid minute before she leaned up on her tiptoes to give him one more kiss. "I'll call you once I get home."

After Maria had gone Michael climbed back into the truck, ignoring his sister and her friends when they called him. He drove home in silence, his thoughts a mass of confusion as he went over what had happened yet again. He had replayed the scene in his mind dozens of times and he couldn't imagine how she could have missed what he had done.

At home he walked inside, forcing out a response when his mother called out to let him know that dinner would be ready soon. He closed the door to his room and sank down to the floor, leaning back against the bed as he ran his hands through his hair.

_What was he going to do if Maria got back home and suddenly realized that something had happened? _She had sounded suspicious when she had asked about minerals in the soil. _Had she really sounded suspicious? Or was he imagining it? No, _he decided, _she had definitely sounded like she was suspicious. Maybe she would just forget about them. Or maybe she would want to satisfy her curiosity by investigating the matter further. _

"Damn it," he muttered, wondering how he was going to get around this mess. He hadn't known Maria for very long, but he was afraid that she wasn't just going to give up that easily. _No,_ he thought, _if she realized that something had happened she would pursue it until she had an answer. _He would just have to come up with a plausible explanation before he saw her again, something that she would believe without question.


	11. Chapter 11

**Part 11**

Isabel walked through the front door and stopped in the kitchen to speak to her mother before going upstairs to get ready for dinner. Once in her own bedroom, she sat down on her bed and considered what she had learned in the time she had spent with Alex. The program he had used to attempt decoding the letter hadn't worked, but instead of giving up he had simply moved on to another idea.

"You stayed out quite a while," Max said, leaning in her open doorway. "I was sure you'd be home before me."

"I had something to do and it took longer than I thought it would."

"Y'know, Liz called Alex a while ago." He watched her, studying her reaction. "He hasn't discovered anything yet."

"No? How surprising."

Max rolled his eyes at her sarcastic tone. "I guess maybe I owe you an apology; I had this feelin' that you might go back over there and hassle him about it."

"Yes, Max, because I have nothing better to do with my day than hang out with Alex Whitman while he tries to decode some letter." She shook her head and stood up, walking to her closet and ignoring him.

"Yeah, well, Liz seemed pretty confident that Alex would've been all over the place if he had spent the afternoon with you, so I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions."

"You don't know as much as you like to think you know," Isabel said, her voice muffled from the confines of her closet. She wondered why Alex hadn't said anything to Liz about her spending the afternoon at his house, hanging over his shoulder, insisting on having him explain everything he was doing. He had been surprisingly patient as he answered her demanding questions, never once speaking to her like she wasn't smart enough to understand what he was explaining.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go wash up for dinner; I'll see you downstairs."

"Yeah, whatever," she muttered once she heard his door close.

She was going to have to come up with a reasonable explanation for why she wasn't going to be home tomorrow afternoon. She had already made plans to meet Alex after his parents left to spend the day with friends but she had no intention of letting Max know where she was going.

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Maria ran a towel through her hair, wincing when it brushed against her right shoulder. She walked over to the mirror over her dresser and turned so she could see the light bruising where she had taken the brunt of her weight and Michael's when he had tackled her earlier.

She still wasn't sure why he had reacted so strongly to a slight shower of dirt and rocks that hadn't been large enough to really do any damage. She also couldn't shake the image of the bright flash she was certain she had seen, but since Michael said he hadn't seen anything, she had only her own belief that something had happened to cause the flash of light.

Pulling a shirt out of her closet, she slipped it over her head, careful as she pulled it down over her right shoulder, and went to the kitchen for a drink. She was thankful that a long soak in a hot bath had helped ease the soreness from the afternoon's activities, making walking a little less painful than she had expected.

After getting a glass of lemonade from the kitchen, she paused in the living room doorway to watch her mother as she flipped through a stack of old magazines.

"What're you looking for, Mom?" she asked, moving further into the room and sitting in an armchair.

"I was thinking about what you were telling me earlier about the wild horses Michael showed you, and I'm certain I remember reading an article about them." She dropped the magazine on the floor beside her, adding it to the stack already there as she reached for the next one. "They're supposed to be protected, but the truth is they're not nearly as protected as they should be."

Maria leaned over and picked up one of the magazines, browsing through it for a few minutes before closing it again. She was just about to drop it back on the stack on the floor when the name of the magazine caught her eye: _Magnum Photos_. She stared at it, remembering the conversation that had followed after Michael's grandfather had called him Magnum.

_You're only fooling yourself if you believe that, Magnum."_

_Maria tilted her head to the side and looked at Michael curiously. "Magnum? Like the guy on the TV show?"_

_Michael couldn't help the grin that slipped onto his face. "No, nothin' like that."_

_She studied him, intrigued by the teasing glint in his dark eyes. "But you're not gonna tell me, are you?"_

_"Stick around and figure it out if you think you can."_

No, it couldn't be that easy… could it? A large smile spread across her face. She was soooo going to use that piece of information at some point in the near future. Anything to solve the Magnum mystery. She rolled her eyes. Leave it to Michael to act all secretive over a simple nickname. What could possibly be so important about being called Magnum that he couldn't explain it to her? Now, if it was a middle name as ridiculous as the one her mother had given to her – she shuddered just thinking about it – she would understand it, but Magnum was a powerful and beautiful nickname, so why all the secrecy?

Her mother's victorious yell brought her back to reality. "Here it is!" Amy shifted away from the precarious stack of magazines she had created and sat on the floor, satisfied with herself. "I knew I still had it." She flipped through the pages until she came to the photograph of Santana's herd at the center of the magazine. "It's just horrifying what those people did to them."

"What was their punishment?" Maria asked, accepting the magazine when her mother handed it to her.

Amy looked at her daughter, knowing that she wasn't going to like her answer. "They were fined… five hundred dollars each, I think."

"That's all?" Maria asked, scandalized. Fine world they were living in! She scanned through the article briefly before she closed the magazine. "Can I keep this so I can read it later?"

"Sure, honey, take it with you," Amy answered, happy to see her daughter taking an interest in the preservation of the wild horses.

Maria looked at her mother, hesitant to ask about what had been bothering her since she had come back from her date with Michael. Her mother was very involved in the Native American community, so maybe she could give her an answer. "Mom, do you think it's right that the people on the Rez have to rely on tourism to make money?"

Amy turned around to look at her daughter, impressed once again that she was showing an interest in the Native American culture and its social issues. "Well, that's an issue that has a lot of people on the Rez divided because while there are many who encourage the tourism because it does bring revenue in, there are just as many who feel that it's taking away from the heart of their people."

"Michael hates it." She propped her elbow on the arm of the chair and rested her chin in her hand. "It really bothers him that tourists are all over the Rez and that so many families rely on them for income."

Amy smiled. It was obvious that Maria had taken into consideration what Michael had told her about tourism and the Native American reservations, and she was starting to wonder if it was such a good idea for tourists to invade the home of such proud people. "Well, he's not alone in feeling that way. A lot of them feel like they've been reduced to nothing more than being a living tourist attraction, and I don't really blame them for feeling that way. But I also know that right now there isn't another option out there and until there is, things will probably stay this way."

"Yeah. I just hate that he feels like that." She sighed deeply. "I mean, we have tourists crawling all over the place all year round and I never really thought about it because it's how Roswell makes most of its money, but looking at it from Michael's point of view, it kinda makes you stop and think, ya know? It doesn't bother me that there are different people in town every single day, but they come here to see so-called proof that aliens really exist. So, it's not like they're actually taking anything away from us, but it's completely different on the Rez. They're intruding on a way of life and paying money to do it."

She paused to take a drink of her lemonade. "I can understand why it's become a necessity, but it's just sad that they're having to give up a piece of themselves to make a living."

"I'm sure there's a solution out there, Maria, it just hasn't been found yet." Amy stood and replaced the stack of magazines on a shelf. "Michael's parents are very nice; they spent most of the afternoon at the booths. His sister seemed to be very sweet too." She smiled. "I was watching you with Michael, Maggie, and her friends while I was finishing up this evening and you really looked like you were enjoying yourself."

"I was." She smiled. "Maggie and her friends, they're really great."

"And Michael?"

"And we've reached the don't-ask-don't-tell part of the evening." Maria stood up and rolled her eyes. "I'll see you in the morning, Mom."

Amy smiled. "Good night, honey."

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Maggie grabbed a DVD off of the entertainment center and loaded it into the player before tossing the remote on the couch and going to the kitchen to pull the popcorn out of the microwave. She opened the bag and dumped it into a large bowl then grabbed a can of soda and hurried back into the living room before the previews were over.

It was rare that her parents had the opportunity to go out together on a Saturday night and on those oh-so-rare occasions she actually got the television in the den all to herself. Most of the time, she lost the battle for the larger television because her dad and brother dominated it with football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and any other sport that they deemed necessary to their existence and she got stuck with the small television in the living room.

Her parents wouldn't be home until late and Michael had gone for a walk, leaving her all alone to watch the movie she wanted to watch and she didn't even have to fight him for viewers' rights tonight! Normally, on those rare evenings when there wasn't a sporting event on, she and Michael fought over who got to pick the movie until one of their parents took the decision out of their hands and picked for them – and it was never a movie that either of them wanted to see.

She flipped the lights off and settled down on the couch with her popcorn, soda, and remote. "Not tonight though," she muttered, wiggling around until she was comfortably ensconced in the overstuffed cushions. "Tonight it's all mine."

She glanced up half an hour later when the front door shut and Michael paused in the doorway, his arms coming up to cross over his chest as he stared at the movie playing on the screen. She grabbed the remote and paused the player before he could comment and ruin the whole mood she had going on.

"Why'd you pause it?" Michael asked, crossing the room and slouching down beside her.

"Because you're not going to be staying long." She frowned when he placed a can of soda on the coffee table and held a bottle of Tabasco sauce in front of her face. Before she could form a protest, he doused her popcorn with the hot sauce and took the bowl from her. He took a handful of it and crammed it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully for a few seconds before shaking his head. "Not enough butter."

"That's real attractive, Michael. Be sure to show that to Maria next time you see her." She rolled her eyes. "That'll really impress her."

Michael was getting ready to shrug and make a smart remark when she suddenly smiled and he leaned away from her warily. "What?"

"Or maybe you don't need to impress her." She grinned like she knew something no one else knew. "After all, her mom likes you." She tried not to laugh and ended up snorting instead. "I mean, she hugged you and everything."

This time she didn't try to stop the laughter. "You should've seen your face! You looked like you wanted the earth to open up and swallow you whole!" She fell over sideways, laughing, the sound muffled because her face was buried in the cushions.

"I'm so glad you enjoy my suffering and it provides you with amusement," he grumbled before shoving another handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"Oh, come on," Maggie said once she had brought herself under control once more. "She was just so excited that you make her little girl smile. Too bad she didn't see the smile you put on her face this afternoon." She bit back a giggle and shook her head. "That was a pretty hot kiss, Michael."

"Yeah." He picked at a loose thread on his jeans before motioning at the television. "We gonna watch this or not?"

Maggie shifted sideways to scrutinize his expression. She knew he had been quieter than usual during dinner but she had thought that he was just lost in thought after spending the day with Maria. Now, she wasn't so sure. This wasn't how he normally responded to her teasing; they usually went back and forth for a while before he either gave in and let her win or he ended it by tickling her mercilessly. "Are you okay?"

"I thought we were gonna watch the movie."

"Michael, the day you willingly sit down to watch _Pretty In Pink_ is the day it's all over." She shook her head and shoved him. "Something's obviously bothering you, so tell me what it is."

She propped her arm on the back of the couch and rested her chin on her forearm. "Did Maria say something when she called you earlier?" She sat up straighter. "She didn't break up with you or anything, did she?"

Michael smiled briefly at his sister's indignant tone. "No." He sighed and lowered his head to stare at his hands. "Not yet anyway."

"What do you mean, not yet?" she asked carefully. "Michael?" She stared at him, her worry increasing with every moment of silence that passed. "Michael, what'd she see?"

She followed his gaze to his right hand where it was constantly in motion, clenching and unclenching. Her eyes widened and she shook her head in denial. "Michael, did you do something in front of her?"

"She would've gotten hurt, Maggie… I had no choice." He glanced at her, maintaining eye contact for just the briefest part of a second.

"How much did she see?" She knew he didn't show his deepest emotions, preferring to keep them hidden deep inside, but there were rare moments when she could see right through him, and at this moment she could tell he was afraid.

"I'm not really sure if she saw anything or not," Michael admitted.

Maggie's fears only increased with his hesitant answer. "But, there's a chance that she saw you use your powers?"

He nodded. "There's a chance, yeah."

Maggie swore. _This was bad, really bad. _Up until now no one had ever discovered her brother's powers. Living in a secluded part of the Rez, Michael had been taught to use and control his powers early on by River Dog, and he had never made a mistake with them, not even at school. "What're you gonna tell her if she says she did?"

Michael remained silent for a minute, considering his options. "I don't know. Maybe she didn't see anything, Maggie. I mean, she was acting perfectly normal before she left, and then later when I talked to her on the phone." He shrugged and a small smile lifted one corner of his mouth. "Well, normal for Maria, anyway."

_Right._ Maggie was relieved… a little. _There was a chance that Michael's identity was safe._ "Is there any other way to explain what she saw?"

"The only thing she saw was a flash of light, and she explained it on her own; she said maybe she hit her head."

Maggie jumped on that. "Did she?"

Michael shook his head. He was well aware that he had cradled her head with his left hand to keep her from doing that very thing and he had the bruised, skinned knuckles to prove it.

Maggie watched him for several minutes. "You think she'll remember, don't you?"

"What am I gonna tell her if she does?" he asked quietly.

"Because you know you can't tell her the truth, Michael," Maggie said insistently. She had to make him realize that. It was crucial.

"What if that's – "

"No!" Maggie screamed at him. She tried to control herself as she fought to bring her breathing under control. _How was she going to explain her opposition to Maria being told the truth without hurting her brother?_ "Michael, I like Maria, you know I do, but if you told her and she didn't take it well… You know what could happen!"

"Do you think she'd look at me differently? Run away screaming into the night? Turn me in to the authorities?" He couldn't fault his sister because he had the exact same doubts and fears, but part of him wanted to believe that Maria wouldn't react badly if the truth came out.

Maggie sighed. It was easy to see that Michael was just as worried as she was, and she didn't want to add to his fears by throwing fuel on the fire. But at the same time she had to make him understand that he had to be more careful, that it was too soon to tell Maria the truth. "No, I'm not saying that, I'm just saying that it's too dangerous for you to even consider telling her that you're not exactly from around here." She reached over to place her hand on his arm, frowning when he jerked away from the contact.

Michael grimaced and pulled his sleeve back as he held his arm up. "It's still a little tender; I scraped it up pretty good while we were out today." He stood up and stretched. "I think I'm gonna go on to bed. Do me a favor, will ya? Don't worry Mom an' Dad with this, okay?"

Maggie nodded. "Promise me you won't tell her the truth, Michael."

"I've never broken a promise to you, Maggie."

"I know."

"Then don't ask me to make one now that I may not be able to keep," Michael said firmly.

She called him before he could leave the room. "At least promise me you'll talk to Grandpa tomorrow. Please?"

Michael nodded. "I'll talk to him, Maggie." He leaned over to drop a kiss on her dark head. "Don't worry about it, okay? I promise I'll talk to him."

"Tomorrow," she insisted.

"First thing, brat."

Maggie watched him go and knew without a doubt that he would do what he said he would do. Michael had never once broken a promise and it worried her that he hadn't given her his word that he wouldn't tell Maria the truth. Her brother really liked Maria; she knew it even though he wouldn't come right out and admit it, and she didn't want to see him get hurt. _What if he told the truth and Maria turned on him? What if –_

"Stop thinkin' so hard and watch that stupid movie," Michael insisted from the doorway.

"I'm going with you to see Grandpa", Maggie stated decisively.

"Maggie – "

She interrupted him before he had the opportunity to undermine her plans. "No, I'm going with you, Michael."

He decided not to argue with her. She was worried about him and she wouldn't let it go until she talked to their grandfather, trusting him to find a solution to the problem.

"Fine." He walked through the house to his bedroom, leaving the light off and pacing back and forth in front of his window. He couldn't discount his sister's fears and he couldn't put them to rest until he knew what action to take and what affect it would have. He braced his hands on either side of the window and stared at the mountains in the distance, the same mountains he has spent the day looking at with Maria.

He spent the entire night staring into the desert as the moon cut a path across the sand until it finally disappeared over the horizon and the sun began its climb into the early morning sky. He was still no closer to an answer when he heard his mother beginning to make preparations for breakfast.


	12. Chapter 12

**Part 12**

_Dreams were strange things_, Maria mused as she opened her eyes and squinted against the sunlight streaming through her window. Her mind had apparently chosen to take a walk through what little she could recall from her brush with danger the day before. It was funny the way dreams took such simple events and twisted them around to create such a surreal reality. There had to be something to explain the flash of light she had seen, but she had her doubts that Michael had used some sort of weapon to blast the rocks before they could strike her.

"Yeah, you've been living in Roswell too long, girl." She wasn't going to get any answers from her dreams; she needed to go back to the place where it had happened. If she didn't figure this out, her overactive imagination was going to have Michael turning green and cruising the skies of New Mexico in a flying saucer. She giggled as she rolled out of bed and stretched, wincing when she felt the twinge in her shoulder.

She turned around and stared hard at her reflection as she gently rubbed the sore spot on her right shoulder. There was a completely rational explanation, she was sure of it. "I hit my head," she muttered, "that must be it." She frowned as she twisted around and tried in vain to see the back of her head. _There must be_… she thought, but as she reached up to probe her skull in hopes of finding even the smallest tender area she flashed back to the moment when she had landed on the ground while Michael shielded her with his own body. _She hadn't hit her head_, she realized as hysteria began to set in. His hand had kept her head from colliding with the ground. _Which means the head injury theory's out._

"Okay, Maria, think about it," she ordered her reflection. "You're not making any sense and if you can't blame it on a head injury, there must be another explanation for that damn flash of light." _There is_, her mind taunted her, _he's an alien_. She hurried to grab a small vial of cedar oil off of her dresser and unscrewed the cap, inhaling the scent that normally calmed her down. Her nerves settled, but only minimally.

"Not an alien, not an alien, not an alien," she chanted, pacing around her room and inhaling the cedar oil's rich scent every few seconds. Feeling sufficiently calmed she found herself standing in front of the mirror once more and wondered if conversing with one's self could be considered a reasonable cause for a one-way trip to the funny farm. She shook her head and walked to the other side of the room. "Okay, shake it off, girl," she ordered. "You're not crazy, despite what other people think."

_Maybe it had something to do with the time they had spent together the day before, _she mused thoughtfully. It had been a magical day and Michael himself was… what was the word? He was different from any other guy she had ever known, but what was it that set him apart from everyone else? Obviously being raised on the reservation by Indians who were some of the most spiritual people in the world was a factor, but he was… what? Mystical? Otherworldly?

She rolled her eyes and growled when her thoughts once again turned to the paranormal. "He's not an alien," she denied aloud, as if speaking the words would make them true. She had grown up surrounded by the mythology created in the wake of the '47 crash, she spent most of her days serving greasy food to the odd assortment of people who blew through town as they chased one UFO sighting after another, and while she had never discounted the possibility of life "out there" she really didn't believe they were just hanging out on planet Earth.

She snorted suddenly. "Maybe you just need to get your eyes checked because you're obviously seeing things." She faced her reflection from across the room and shook her head at herself. "He's not an alien and you're gonna prove it."

_But how?_ She tried to piece the events together but everything had happened so fast that she just couldn't make it make sense. She was missing something, some vital piece of the puzzle that would make everything fall into place. A quick glance at her clock showed that it was just before eleven; if she hurried she could make it out to the reservation by noon.

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River Dog walked along the stream, unaware of the heat that beat down on him as the sun climbed higher in the sky. He had spent most of his life on the reservation, conscious of the changes that occurred on a daily basis in the world outside of their borders. As a young man, he had ventured out past the boundaries of the reservation, living in the city for a year before he had been unable to handle the confinement any longer.

It was funny how people from the outside saw the reservation as confining. For him, it was freedom to be who he was, to be a part of something that was so much bigger than him. It wasn't a life that most people in the outside world would be comfortable with, but he suspected that the reverse was also true.

He leaned down to pick up a long stick, studying it closely before deciding that with a little work it would make a good walking stick. Like many of the others who lived on the Rez, he used what nature provided to make a living, and walking sticks sold well. He wasn't sure why since most of the tourists who came through and bought them looked like they rarely saw much of the outdoors.

"Grandpa!"

He turned and waved his free hand to acknowledge his granddaughter's greeting before going back to his perusal of the horizon, studying it for several minutes while he waited for the teenagers to reach him.

"Grandpa, you need to talk to Michael," Maggie insisted, her tone urgent.

River Dog turned and leaned against a large boulder, intently scanning their features for some clue as to why they were there. Michael appeared just as solemn as he normally was, but there was an underlying tension in his tall frame. His sister, though, was bursting with nervous energy, which was completely at odds with her usual serene demeanor.

He had been expecting a visit from Michael since the day he had met Maria out at Grey Wolf's place, but he hadn't expected Maggie to tag along with him. He waited patiently, knowing she would be off and running at any minute.

"You have to tell him he can't tell his girlfriend the truth, Grandpa! He thinks it might come to that because of something that happened yesterday – not that he'll tell me what it was – but, it's a risk that's too big to even…" Maggie fell silent when River Dog held a hand up, stopping the flow of words.

"I'm sure your brother appreciates your opinion, Maggie, as we all do," River Dog said, biting back a smile, "but, perhaps this is a conversation he did not intend to have with you here."

"Grandpa, this is serious!" She crossed her arms over her chest and waited. When he didn't give in after several minutes she threw her arms up in the air. "Fine." She turned to her brother and held her right hand out. "I'll need the keys to the truck."

Michael took a step back and shoved the keys in his pocket. "No."

"How do you expect me to go anywhere then?"

"Call Linda or Christina to come get you."

"At nine o'clock? On a Sunday morning?" She huffed indignantly and stalked back along the path that led back to her grandfather's home. "Fine. Just remember that you owe me, Michael!" she shouted over her shoulder.

River Dog chuckled at her temperamental behavior and shook his head before turning to regard his grandson. "So, you've decided to tell Maria the truth?"

"No." Michael kicked a rock across the ground and shrugged his wide shoulders. "It's just that she nearly got hurt yesterday and I used my powers to protect her." He leaned over to pick up another rock, running his fingers over the smooth, flat surface. "I think it's possible that maybe she saw somethin' she shouldn't have seen and I'm not really sure what to do about it." He paced back and forth, unable to remain still while his mind was racing with different scenarios.

"You're not sure she actually saw anything?" the old man asked, his sharp gaze following his grandson's restless movements.

"No, I'm not sure." He turned to look at his grandfather. "What should I do?"

"Do you feel like you know her well enough to tell her the truth?" He nodded after several minutes of silence. "If she doesn't suspect anything then I think it would be best to wait until you do feel like you know her well enough and you're comfortable with her knowing the truth."

"And if she does suspect that somethin' out of the ordinary happened?" Michael skipped the stone across the calm surface of the water. "What do I do then? What do I tell her?"

River Dog's gaze searched his grandson's face, easily reading the mixed emotions there. He could see that Michael wanted to tell Maria the truth, but he was afraid to take that step. The boy knew perfectly well what could happen if his secret fell into the wrong hands but at the same time, he was a regular seventeen-year-old boy who was fast approaching the age of eighteen, and he was falling in love with a young girl. And like most human boys, he wanted to be with her, to be able to talk to her, to confide in her, to not have to hide who he really was. He sighed. Michael had a hard decision to make and he knew that the boy expected him to put him on the right path. Would Maria DeLuca be able to deal with Michael's alien side? Maria DeLuca… Amy DeLuca's daughter. River Dog thought back to the first time he had met Maria's mother and a small smile lit up his face. Maybe that was the answer.

"Do you know that the first time I met Amy DeLuca, she had handcuffed herself to the front bumper of an eighteen-wheeler on a reservation up in Oklahoma? Oil had been discovered on the Rez and the government was moving equipment in to start drilling despite the fact that the land belongs to the Indians there. She and her little group caused quite a scene, handcuffed to different parts of this truck, protesting the government's theft of resources that belonged to the Indians. Then when they came in to arrest them she managed to hold them off until some reporter friend of hers arrived to cover the story." He shook his head. "She had even hassled a couple of government officials into coming out to see what was going on."

"You're tellin' me Maria's crazy mother held off cops and everyone else until the right people got there to see what was goin' on." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "How?"

"Well, it was mostly for show; the police on the Rez had no reason to stop her group from protesting. The longer it lasted the more time it gave her reporter friend to get there with the government officials." His lined face broke out in a smile. "She was pregnant with Maria at the time, but she was well taken care of by everyone. She's been a very good friend to our people, Michael, and I don't know her daughter, but I do know her."

"Meanin' what exactly?"

"Amy is a very open-minded woman and she cares deeply for those who are different. I am certain that her daughter must be quite similar in character." Amusement lit up his dark eyes. "After all, you are different, and it is obvious that Maria already cares for you." He chuckled when Michael scowled and kicked another rock. "Her mother is strongly guided by the spirits; she has a strong character and deeply ingrained morals."

He moved across the distance that separated them and placed a hand on the boy's right shoulder. "If you come to that crossroad and it becomes necessary for you to make the decision to reveal the truth or cover it up, tell her the truth."

"You don't think she'll freak out?" Michael asked hopefully.

River Dog laughed at Michael's question. Amy was one of a kind that was for sure. Chances were that Maria had inherited her mother's… unique disposition. "She is her mother's daughter, Michael. There's a reasonable expectation of some…" he cleared his throat, "overreaction, on her part, but, I don't believe she'll pose any threat to you."

Michael contemplated his grandfather's answer as he stared into the stream. "So, you think I should tell her."

River Dog shook his head. "I'm not telling you what you should do, boy. I just think if you come to that crossroad and you opt to try to come up with a cover story, you'll regret not telling her the truth." He moved back to lean against the boulder once more. "Tell me honestly – have you given any thought to what it would be like to tell her the truth?"

"Maybe." He shrugged. "I don't know. In my mind it keeps comin' down to that moment where she learns the truth and at that point, I just go blank."

"You're scared to think of her reaction."

"Wouldn't you be?" Michael snapped.

"Because you care about her." River Dog watched his grandson as he started to pace again. "Michael, I know you've always had your reservations about getting involved, and I'm not discounting your fears because they are valid, but you've invited her to come out on more than one occasion." He smiled and shook his head. "She's a little crazy, Magnum."

The teasing words had the desired effect; Michael relaxed fractionally and moved to lean back against the boulder beside his grandfather. "She is kinda crazy," he said, laughing quietly. "Crazy enough to keep comin' round here to see me."

River Dog nudged him with his elbow. "She likes you."

Michael sighed heavily. "I hope it's enough."

"Michael, take some advice from an old man; don't stress yourself out over something that may or may not happen." He reached over to pat the younger man's shoulder. "And trust your instincts where she's concerned."

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Maria was singing along with the radio – loudly – as she drove onto the reservation and followed the route to Michael's house. She pulled up into his driveway a short while later and climbed out of the car, pocketing the keys before walking up to the front door. She had hoped to catch him at home but after knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell didn't bring anyone out she realized that the house was empty. She wondered if he was going to be back soon as she looked around at the desert and the mountains in the distance. She sat on the front porch for a few minutes, paced back and forth for another few minutes, and sat on the hood of the car for a few minutes, before she decided the waiting was driving her insane.

She finally couldn't take it any longer and she walked around the house and down to the barn, pushing the door open and stepping into the cool interior. She stopped at the stall where Rascal was housed and smiled when the mare poked her head over the stall door and nickered to get her attention.

"Hi there," she whispered, reaching up to stroke the shiny neck. "You wouldn't happen to know where Michael is, would you?" She chuckled when the mare nudged her roughly and snuffled as she searched for a treat. "I didn't bring you a snack, you pig." She had seen Michael give the horses sugar cubes the day before so she knew right away what the mare was looking for.

She walked along the breezeway, looking into the stalls that lined both sides. She paused at the stall where Sundance was housed, staring at the horse for several long seconds. When he stamped his hooves against the ground she decided she had seen enough of him and she went back to Rascal's stall. Eventually, she became tired of standing around and she sat down on a bale of straw, wondering if Michael was going to be back soon.

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Liz sat down across from Alex just as one of the waitresses was clearing away his empty plates. She had finished her shift half an hour ago and she had the rest of the day free.

"What're you looking at?" she asked, nodding at the computer magazine lying open on the table between them.

"New software packages," he answered, knowing she wouldn't go any further with the question. She could talk about biology and science stuff for hours on end but she had no interest in computers beyond their relation to her field of study.

"So, I guess you haven't discovered anything new with the letter?"

"Not yet. We'll figure it out though." He flipped through several pages, scanning over the encryption software.

Liz shook her head at his statement but not because she didn't believe him. No, if Alex said he was going to figure it out she knew he would no matter how long it took. It was his use of the word _we'll_; Alex had a habit of referring to his computer as if it were an entity capable of independent thought. _He really needed to get a girlfriend and interact with humans more often._ _Or an alien_, she thought, smiling when she glanced up and saw Max and Isabel getting out of the jeep.

Alex had been captivated by Isabel Evans since the first day she and Max had started attending grade school with them. Even though the tall blonde had never been nice to him Alex had always had a soft spot for her and she had never understood it.

"Any chance you're planning to ask Isabel out?"

"Yes, Liz, because then my humiliation could be both public and complete." He flipped over to the next page to study the external hard drives. "Even with everything that's goin' on she barely acknowledges my existence."

"That's never stopped you before."

That caught his attention and he looked up at her, shaking his head in warning. "Leave it alone, Liz." He nodded at something over her shoulder. "You've got plans?"

Liz turned her head, smiling at Max. "We're going to a movie."

"Well, I've gotta get back to that letter." He glanced at his watch. "My parents should be gone by now so I'll talk to you later." He nodded at Max when they passed each other.

"Is he okay?" Max asked, sitting down across from Liz.

"Yeah, he'll be fine. Where'd Isabel go?"

"I pissed her off so she decided to walk to the shoe store." He shrugged at her questioning look. "I saw you talking to Alex and I made the mistake of asking her if she was gonna apologize to him." He smiled. "You ready to go?"

"Just waiting for you."

"Do you mind walking to the theater?"

"No, it's only a few blocks over. You're leaving the jeep for Isabel?"

"Yeah. I doubt she'll use it just so she can be difficult, but this way it's here if she wants to take it." Max held the door open for her as they stepped out into the comfortably warm afternoon air.

"Max, do you have any expectations for that letter that we found?" she asked, sliding her fingers through his when he took her hand.

"Expectations?" He shook his head. "No, I guess not."

"Do you want it to mean something? To be some kind of connection to where you're from?"

"I don't really know. I mean, I've got questions of course, but…"

Liz tugged on his hand to get his attention when she heard his confused tone. "Y'know, Max, it's okay to be scared of where it could lead. It's gotta be pretty scary knowing that there's possibly a different life for you out there… that there's more out there on some other planet than what you could ever have here – "

Max pressed the forefinger of his free hand against her lips to stop the flow of words. "It doesn't matter what we find out from that letter, what we discover through investigation, or what we learn about ourselves in the future. All of that's just filling in the blanks, it's just answering the questions of where we come from and why we're here, it doesn't determine my happiness or my future."

"You're so sure of that?"

"Without question."

"How?"

"Because, Elizabeth Parker, with your acceptance of me, you've already determined my happiness as well as my future." He leaned in close to her, gently framing her face as he kissed her tenderly.


	13. Chapter 13

**Part 13**

Michael stared at the little red car parked in his spot and glanced around as he parked behind it. He pulled the key from the ignition and shoved it in his pocket as he stepped out of the truck and shut the door. Since his parents were both working until evening and Maggie was most likely still out with her friends, he knew Maria wouldn't be inside, so he walked around to the back where the barn was situated and immediately spotted the slightly open door.

After spending several hours talking to River Dog, he had felt a little better about dealing with the possibility of having to reveal his identity, but knowing she was there threw all of that right out the window. He wiped his suddenly damp palms on his jeans before taking a deep breath and reaching for the door. He swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump in his throat as he walked along the breezeway towards his goal.

Maria turned around when she heard the hinges on the door creak, and she smiled at Michael as he walked towards her. "Well, it certainly took you long enough to get here," she commented.

"Yeah, I went out to see my grandfather." He made a meaningless gesture with his right hand. "Did we have plans this afternoon?" he asked, knowing perfectly well that they hadn't made arrangements to see each other.

"I was hoping we could take a ride back out to where we were yesterday."

"Oh. Um, why?" Michael could've kicked himself for the idiotic response but nerves had made him even less articulate than usual and he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Because something happened yesterday that I can't quite put my finger on and it's gonna drive me crazy until I figure it out." She raised her head to meet his gaze directly. "Unless you wanna tell me what I saw."

Old habits were hard to break and he found himself falling back on them instead of trying to talk to her about what had occurred the day before. His throat locked up on him, his mouth went dry, and his stomach felt like it was filled with lead. Maybe if he took her out there and let her look around, she'd be satisfied that it was just a figment of her imagination and she'd drop it. He knew it was wishful thinking and he was grasping at straws in an effort to contain the fear that had wrapped its icy fingers around his throat.

He hooked his thumb over his left shoulder. "I'll get the horses ready."

Maria watched him in an attempt to gauge his mood and she wanted to scream in frustration when she realized how tense he was. It hadn't been her intention to make him uncomfortable but she could tell that was exactly what she had done. She had to find a way to put him at ease or this was going to be a miserable afternoon for both of them

"How was your visit with your grandfather?"

Michael leaned down to pull the cinch strap snug against Rascal's belly and idly patted the mare before leading her out of the stall. "It was okay. Here, hold her while I get Sundance ready." She sighed at his noncommittal tone and accepted the reins when he held them out to her.

"Where's Maggie today?"

"Probably out with Linda an' Christina." He shrugged as he finished saddling his horse. "She's pissed at me, so I really can't say for sure."

Silence fell over them once more and this time Maria didn't try to fill it, choosing instead to study him as they left the barn and headed out into the desert. Was it possible that his mood was simply a by-product of an argument with his sister? Or did his mood have more to do with the fact that she had shown up unexpectedly, with questions that he didn't want to answer? Her gaze raked over him as he led the way, his relaxed position completely at odds with the tension she could sense in him.

She tilted her head to one side in an attempt to keep the sun out of her eyes. _He couldn't be an alien, right?_ She spent the rest of the ride trying to decide if it was realistically possible for an alien to look and act like Michael. According to everything she had seen and read, aliens were rumored to be hairless and either gray or green, depending on whose information you were relying on. They were supposed to have large, black, almond-shaped eyes, with tiny mouths, and no nose to speak of. More often than not they were described as having small bodies with spindly arms and legs. _Well, that certainly didn't come anywhere close to describing Michael_, she thought, smiling as she watched him dismount and secure Sundance.

It suddenly occurred to her that if he was an alien, she had managed to work herself into a bad situation. They were out in the middle of nowhere and he had informed her the day before that no one even knew that this place even existed. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe insisting that he tell her exactly what happened wasn't the best option_.

Michael watched Maria as he held Rascal's bridle, wondering what she was thinking. She had been uncharacteristically quiet on the ride but he didn't know if that was in response to his own silence or if she was just getting her thoughts in order before she started to question him. He turned to secure Rascal and he felt the air shift when Maria moved away from him.

Maria walked over to the rocky incline and took several steps along the path before she stopped and scanned the area with a critical eye. She winced when every step reminded her of why horseback riding was something she had decided she never wanted to do again. _Ouch! God, and she thought yesterday had been painful! People who did this on a regular basis were obviously masochists._ She had to force herself to ignore the soreness that had quickly flared back up after riding the four-legged beast back out into the desert.

She walked up a little further and her gaze traveled over the place where she had grabbed onto the little bush in an effort to stop her fall. _The feeling of falling, scrambling to latch onto anything that would stop her descent, the roughness of the limb she had grasped, the disbelief when the bush came free of the ground, and the fear as she realized the disruption of the ground had triggered a landslide. The glimpse of a large boulder coming loose and barreling down after her and the sick feeling that followed. The boulder exploding at the same moment that Michael had crashed into her and…_

Her eyes widened and she stared at the ground where she had last seen the boulder. Moving closer to it she noticed that the sun was reflecting off of something and she leaned over to brush the sand away. _The sand had been melted into a small sheet of glass. _She turned slowly and stared at the rocks and fresh earth that surrounded the area where she and Michael had landed. Moving closer, she picked up several of the rocks and studied their jagged edges carefully.

Michael felt his breath lodge in his throat and his heart was thumping painfully in his chest as he watched Maria put the pieces together. He felt nauseous, which was a new sensation since he hadn't been sick a day in his life, but his sister had described it in enough detail that he was fairly certain that was what he was experiencing. He knew the exact moment she figured it out and as she turned to face him, he panicked and several cactus plants exploded around him.

"Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God," she muttered, an edge of hysteria creeping into her voice as she surveyed the bits and pieces of cactus lying on the ground. "What'd the cactus ever do to you? I understand the rocks…" Her voice trailed off and she turned to look at the patch of glass and the jagged rocks she still held in her hand. "Oh, my God, it's true, isn't it? You did this… all of it! That's why these rocks are all jagged, because they were part of a large rock and you blew it up. And the glass… I'm no science whiz but I do know that sand only turns into glass under extreme temperatures. It's the only thing that makes sense because there's no other way you could've gotten to me and got us out of the way before that rock hit me."

She made her way back down to the bottom of the path and continued to rant, not noticing his withdrawal. "It's true. I mean, people have said for years and years that aliens exist, but, seriously, who believes that? It's true though, isn't it? You're…"

She paused in her rambling rant and frantically searched through her bag for her cedar oil, sighing in relief when her fingers wrapped around it. She unscrewed the cap and inhaled the soothing scent, continuing to pace and quietly muttering to herself. "Okay, Maria, you can do this. You've already accused him of being from outer space and he hasn't turned green or gone all… _alien_ on you." She took another whiff of the cedar oil and recapped it before taking a deep, calming breath and turning to face him. She frowned when she noticed him quietly pacing several yards away, his pacing the only outward sign of discomfort. She felt her nerves settle as she realized how distressed he was and she took in several deep, calming breaths before speaking. "Michael, tell me what happened yesterday."

He barely glanced at her as he continued to pace for several minutes, gathering his thoughts and trying to remain calm. _She wanted an explanation? She already had her answer, what more did she want from him? _

Maria easily read the fear in his eyes in the brief glance he sent in her direction. She immediately recalled all of the movies she had seen about aliens and the way the government hunted them down so they could experiment on them. He didn't deserve that and she would never let it happen, but she had to make him understand that she was okay with him and that he could trust her. _But it wasn't just fear of exposure_, she realized, _it was also fear of rejection_. His fear was broadcasting itself loudly and Maria finally had to speak, hoping to give him some peace of mind so he would talk to her. "Michael, I know I have a tendency to run off at the mouth when… well, okay, most of the time, but I really do want you to tell me what happened yesterday. I admit, it's a little shocking to say the least, but, I am a pretty open-minded person and I'm open to whatever you have to say."

"Yeah, until I actually open my mouth and say it." He sat on a large boulder with a flat surface and hooked the heels of his boots on an old log lying in front of it, bracing his elbows on his knees as he dropped his head forward and covered his face with his hands.

His pose was so isolated, so lonely, and it just broke her heart. _Did it really matter if he was an alien, like she suspected?_ He hadn't done anything that made him a threat to her, or anyone else that she had seen. From everything she had seen, his heart was in the right place; despite his gruff exterior he was considerate, he loved his family, and he was very protective of those he cared about. She couldn't just stand there and watch him suffer alone any longer.

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Alex sat on the porch swing on the back deck, his lanky body in a comfortable sprawl as he stared at his mother's greenhouse. He had spent a lot of time there when he was a little boy, eagerly learning everything his mother had taught him in his father's absence.

Charles Whitman was away on business more than he was home and Alex couldn't remember his father being there for most of his childhood. Although when he had been there he had still been absent. His father wasn't a cold or mean person by nature; he just didn't know how to interact with people. The man preferred computers over people and he always had; they made sense to him and he understood them in a way that he didn't understand human beings.

Elaine Whitman on the other hand was the exact opposite of her husband. Warm, friendly, outgoing, and affectionate; she was a strong woman who wasn't afraid to speak her mind or to stand up for what was right.

He was convinced that Isabel possessed those same qualities even though she kept most of them tucked away, hidden away behind her icy façade in order to protect herself. She could be unbelievably cruel when she wanted to be and he had been the recipient of that cruelty every single year since the third grade.

At eight years old Alex had had exactly two friends – Maria DeLuca and Liz Parker. In the beginning some of the other boys had teased him about having girls for friends and they had pushed him around on the playground, but Maria had faced off against the bullies and they had moved on to someone else.

He still remembered his first attempt to put a smile on Isabel Evans' face. February 14, 1992 was a day that he wouldn't forget as long as he lived…

_Alex had hurried through the hall so he could get to Ms. Thompson's class before anyone else. Skidding to a halt in the open doorway he had crept inside, looking around to make sure no one else had gotten there first. Once he was satisfied that he was alone he had made his way to the back of the classroom where Isabel's desk was waiting._

_He placed his backpack on the desk next to hers and absently noted that it was the one her brother Max sat in. He unzipped the backpack and reached inside, carefully removing the single red rose his mom had let him take from her garden that morning before school. He gently brushed his little fingers over the silky petals as he thought about Isabel._

_He didn't understand why she didn't smile very much, but he was certain she'd be even prettier if she did. He carefully placed the precious gift on her desk, moving it this way and that way before deciding it was perfect. __**This would make her smile**__, he thought. Flowers always made his mom smile so he knew that this one, picked from his mom's garden, would make Isabel smile too._

_It wasn't important for her to know who had left the flower; it was only important that he see her smile when she saw it. He had hurried from the classroom then, running through the halls to find Liz and Maria. _

_Spotting his friends he had altered his path and joined them by the gym. "Hi," he greeted breathlessly._

"_Alex!"_

_Their voices had blended together and they were hugging him before he had a chance to put his backpack down. As soon as they had released him he had handed each of them the two best Valentine's Day cards that had been in the box his mom had bought for him to pass around in class. They were really cool, with pictures of the characters from his favorite cartoons. The ones for Liz and Maria were extra special though, they had a heart-shaped chocolate taped to the backs of their cards._

_They had each given him a Valentine's Day card and he had endured another round of hugs because he knew it was a special day for girls. He didn't understand why they got all weird or why everything had to be red and shaped like a heart, but the girls really liked it. He shook his head, not sure he wanted to understand. His dad had sent his mom a bunch of roses and a big box of chocolates that morning and she had cried. __**Girls were just weird sometimes**__, he thought._

"_Y'know my mom's like really getting into all that health food and she took all the good stuff to the Crashdown an' some other places last night," Maria said, distracting him from what Liz was doing. "An' we knew you wouldn't want one of her gross muffins that don't have any icing on them…"_

_Alex's hopeful expression fell. No chocolate cupcake? They always brought him at least one of Maria's mom's cupcakes because she made the best ones. They were even better than his mom's cupcakes and that meant they were really good._

"_But, we managed to sneak one out last night when we were doin' homework," Liz said, turning back around and holding out a beautifully crafted cupcake._

"_It's extra special this year, Alex," Maria said, her voice lowered conspiratorially. "I watched my mom when she was makin' 'em and she put fudge in the middle."_

"_Really?" He was intrigued by the thought of even more chocolate. He hadn't understood what the big deal was about chocolate before meeting the girls. Their moms only made health food just like his mom, but they had figured out ways to get their hands on lots of different sweet things. _

"_Happy Valentine's Day, Alex," Maria said as she hugged him again._

"_Alex is a big girl!"_

_He had felt Maria's arms tighten just before she backed away from him. She had glared at the girl who had spoken but before she could move Liz had grabbed her arm._

"_Your mom said you were gonna be grounded if you got in another fight with Pam Troy," Liz reminded her._

"_Yeah, you're right, and she's not worth it," Maria said, but she had sounded like she was trying to convince herself._

"_You're the one who's not worth it," Pam argued, daring to close the distance between them. "That's probably why your dad left – "_

_No one had seen Liz move and no one had expected it when she had smashed the special cupcake with the red and pink frosting right into Pam Troy's sneering face. It was the incident that had officially drawn the lines of battle between the two girls and it was a war that would last all the way through high school._

_The three friends had taken off for class, leaving Pam to deal with her sticky face and snickering classmates. They hadn't spoken about Pam or what she had said about Maria's dad; he and Liz knew she didn't like to talk about him because she was still sad that he had gone away. As much as he hated to lose that cupcake, it had been sacrificed for a good cause and he gave Liz a hi-five as they walked into class._

_Most of the desks were already occupied as they made their way back to the corner where they always sat together. Everyone was whispering and pointing at the empty desk at the back with the red rose lying on top. Silence fell over the classroom when Isabel walked in, blonde head held high, her dark eyes briefly flitting over the other students as she moved further into the room. Her brother had been behind her, dark head bent as he watched his feet and followed behind her. He sat at his desk, only looking up when he realized that his sister was standing beside her desk and the entire room had fallen silent._

_Isabel had stared at the rose as if she were worried that it might strike out and bite her. She finally sat down, staring at it for several long minutes before she finally picked it up._

_Alex held his breath, waiting for the smile that was going to appear at any moment. But it had never happened. She had looked at each of the boys in class, making it a point to meet their eyes directly, as she pulled the petals from the flower, one by one. She hadn't known who had left the flower, but she was making sure that whoever had made the mistake knew not to make it again. _

_As each dismembered petal fell to the floor Alex had felt his little heart being broken, but he hadn't let on that he was the one who had left the flower. Maria and Liz had known about his crush on Isabel and they had quickly put two and two together, realizing that he was the one who had left the flower for her. _

The girls hadn't tried to talk to him about it, sensing that it was a private matter, maybe, or just knowing that he wasn't going to talk about it. Either way, they had never questioned him about it; not that first year when he had left the first rose, and not once over the following years. He had sworn to himself that he wasn't going to make the same mistake again, but every single year he took the best rose from his mother's garden on Valentine's Day and left it on Isabel's desk. He had never once left a note or a card, just the single red rose and the hope that it would be the one that would make her smile. And every year her cold gaze met the eyes of every guy in class, trying to determine which of them had dared to leave such a gift, as she silently shredded the petals and let them fall to the desk in front of her. After class she always gathered the remains of the flower up and carried it to the trash can to dispose of it as if it meant nothing, never knowing that she was taking another piece of his heart.

"_You've never let it bother you before."_ Liz's comment had been unnerving because none of them had ever talked about him leaving the roses for Isabel every year despite her obvious disregard of his offering.

"Alex?"

He turned his head when her voice came from behind him unexpectedly. "Isabel." He pushed the memory to the back of his mind as he stood up to face her. "Hey, is everything okay?" he asked when he noticed her expression.

"Things would be fine if Max would stop telling me what to do."

_Okay, well, that explained why she looked like she could happily do some damage right now,_ he thought, hiding a smile. He had a feeling she wouldn't appreciate his amusement at the situation. It was time to redirect her irritation and see if they could turn it into something productive. "So, I've got another idea for decoding that letter. I thought maybe while I was working on what we talked about yesterday you could try to isolate any patterns that exist within the text."

Isabel's expression changed from irritated to neutral. "Oh, well, if you think it would be useful then I guess I can do that."

"Yeah, isolating a pattern would be useful." He opened the screen door and held it for her. "Of course there's a chance that it's coded well enough that there is no pattern too."

"If there's a pattern I'll find it."

Alex followed her inside, certain that she would be able to focus her energy on the code now.


	14. Chapter 14

**Part 14**

Michael froze when she sat down beside him, not expecting it when her arms came around him from behind him and she rested her chin on his left shoulder. "You can tell me anything, Michael, you know that, right?"

_God, he hoped so_. He looked at her, trying to decide what to say. His raked his hands through his hair as he finally stepped off of the ledge and took the big jump. "I just didn't want you to get hurt. Yesterday, I mean. You grabbed that bush and as soon as it came loose from the ground and I saw that rock comin' down, I knew you were gonna get hurt." He winced and glanced at the hill where it had occurred. "I didn't have time to think, I just reacted and… I'm not like everybody else, Maria."

Maria raised her eyes to the heavens. _Now there was a shock… __**not**_ "I think we've established that."

He snorted derisively. "Yeah, I guess we have." His right hand came up and he threaded his fingers through hers, encouraged when she didn't pull away or tense up. 

"So, I'm right then?" Maria insisted, trying to control her eagerness as she waited for him to confirm her belief.

"About the alien thing?"

Maria rolled her eyes at his obtuse response. "Yes, Michael, about the alien thing."

"Yeah, you're right." He turned his head and glanced at her for just a moment before his gaze went back to the desert. "I don't usually have so little control over my… powers. When my emotions get involved, it's a little harder to maintain that control."

"So, you're admitting your emotions are involved here?" Relief flooded her entire body when she saw his profile relax into the familiar smirk. Her gaze traveled down to his hand where it was linked with hers, his thumb rubbing her wrist absently as he pondered his answer. 

"You know you can't tell anyone about this, right?"

"You're kidding, right?" Maria braced her left hand on his shoulder and pushed back to look at him. "I was planning to call the UFO museum as soon as I got home today." She shoved his shoulder when he looked at her sharply. "I have my very own alien; why would I wanna share you with anyone else?" She grinned when he only grunted and looked away, pretending he hadn't been the least bit concerned. "Okay, tell me all about yourself; I wanna know everything."

"Everything, huh?" He chuckled. "There's not really that much to tell, Maria."

Her left hand cradled his stubborn jaw and she turned his head to force his gaze to hers. "Tell me about your home planet, Spaceboy," she insisted, her tone teasing.

"Can't do that."

Maria studied his expression. "Can't or won't?"

"Can't tell you what I don't know," he said quietly. "I don't remember anything before bein' found wanderin' around in the desert when I was about six or so."

She frowned when his eyes became dull and he looked away. "Hey, look at me." She waited until he complied with her demand before she spoke again. "Tell me what you do know." Maria turned towards him and pulled her legs up, bending the right one at the knee and pressing it against his side while draping the left one across his lap. "Not all of us had an ideal childhood, Michael; you can tell me about it without worrying that I'm gonna pass judgment. You said you were found when you were six, right?"

"Yeah, River Dog found me." He nodded at her look of recognition. "My grandfather, he's the one who found me."

His previous revelation shocked Maria to her very core. "You had just been left alone in the desert? There were no others like you?"

"Apparently not." He shrugged. "I couldn't speak, I couldn't understand him when he talked, and I was terrified of him so I kept runnin' away, but he spent weeks out there tryin' to get me to trust him. He'd bring food out and put it where he knew I'd find it, he brought clothes out, but it took some time before I figured out what to do with them, and he brought blankets out so I didn't freeze durin' the nights." He could easily recall the memories and feelings with crystal-clear clarity even though twelve years had passed, and as he talked his mind conjured them up. 

_The sun was hot on his bare flesh and the sun-heated sand burned his little feet as he crept around the outcropping of rocks to peer at the being that had been lurking around. He leaned forward, craning his neck when the being moved out of his line of sight and he jumped back when the heated rocks seared the palms of his hands. The darkness had come and gone several times since he had awakened and the strange being had shown up two times ago. He had stayed away from the being, carefully watching it from a distance, but it had come towards him before the darkness and he had been trapped with nowhere to go. The being had been pushed away when the little boy had raised his hands and thought that he wanted it to go away. The bright flash of light had frightened him and he had run back to the small place hidden in the rocks, huddling in a little ball and shuddering as tears tracked down his dirty cheeks._

_He fell asleep after a while and when he awoke once again, the darkness had fallen across the sand near the entrance of his hiding place. He crept out and peered around, pausing to listen before he crawled out and slowly walked around the rocks, listening hard for anything that sounded out of place. When he finally reached the place where he had last seen the being, he noticed some things sitting on one of the rocks. All of his senses were on alert as he crept along soundlessly, and his eyes darted around fearfully as he reached up to touch the colorful thing. _

_He scrambled up onto the rock when he caught the scent of food and he was reaching for it when he suddenly pulled his hand back and scanned the desert suspiciously. When he was satisfied that it was safe, he snatched up the first thing he could reach, sniffing it curiously before taking a bite of it. He chewed it fast, but as the flavor burst on his tongue he made a face and spit it out. The rest of the thing followed suit and ended up in the sand, thrown as far away as he could get it before he reached for the next thing. It was spongy and the color of the bright light that came after the darkness, and he sniffed it cautiously before taking a small, tentative bite. This time the taste was better and he shoved a handful of the stuff in his mouth, chewing furiously before swallowing and reaching for more._

_His hands grabbed onto a round thing and he shook it, hearing the sloshing sound that came from inside. His dark eyes curiously scanned the desert once more before he shook the thing again. His small hand pulled and tugged at it, certain that he wanted whatever was inside. He made an inarticulate cry when the thing wouldn't open and he froze, looking around fearfully because he hadn't realized the sound came from him. After a few minutes when he hadn't heard anything else, he went back to fighting with the thing and his dark eyes lit up when it suddenly gave and part of the thing came apart. He stared at the liquid that sloshed out of the top and landed on one of his bare legs, frowning when the cool night air brushed against his skin. He brought the thing up to his nose and sniffed at it before putting it to his lips and drinking it down thirstily. _

_With his hunger and thirst sated for the first time, he quickly became sleepy and he shivered again. He looked down when his mind registered the softness of the thing he was touching and his expression turned quizzical as he picked up the colorful square. He patted it gently before jumping down off of the rock and dragging it back to his hiding place. As he crawled back under the rocks where he could sleep without being found, the colorful square got bigger and he stared at it in consternation when other things fell out of it. He poked at the things, satisfied when they didn't do anything, and he dragged them further into the hiding place. He placed them on the ground and patted them into place, confident that they would be softer than the sand. Happy with his discovery, he continued to explore the colorful square, fascinated when it continued to get bigger. He wrapped up in the thing, feeling warmth for the first time since he could remember, and he buried his head under the thing to keep out the scary sounds that came with the darkness._

"God, Michael, you must've been so terrified," Maria murmured, unable to imagine how scary it must have been for him to be alone in the desert and unable to speak, or even understand the man that had been trying to help him. She rubbed his shoulder when he started to tense up. "You don't have to say anything," she assured him. "How long was it before you let him get close to you?"

"I've been told it took several weeks." He shrugged. "I really had no concept of time back then." 

"And you don't have any idea how you ended up in the desert?"

"No recollection whatsoever. I had a basic understanding of things like hunger, thirst, bein' hot or cold, and fear, but when River Dog started comin' around…" He shook his head. "I had no idea what he was and I couldn't understand a single thing he said. Have you ever tried to get a stray animal to trust you enough to let you get close to it?"

"Sure, who hasn't?"

"Same concept. The things I knew at that point were all instinctual; I had no concept of human behavior and I didn't know how to interact with people. Social services were probably thrilled to hand me off when River Dog's son and daughter-in-law offered to take me."

Maria's throat was tight and she swallowed with difficulty. She could only imagine what would have happened to him if River Dog's family hadn't wanted to take Michael into their home, to take care of him, and love him as their own. He would have used his powers at some point, alerting Social Services to his differences and they would have called in doctors and specialists who would have discovered that he wasn't human, and from there… Well, she had seen the movies, read the books; aliens weren't treated like peaceful visitors wanting to make contact, but as invaders who wanted to take over Earth. _Although, why they would want this polluted planet, occupied by hostile beings who were constantly at war with each other, and who were intent upon using up the planets' natural resources without finding a way to preserve them was beyond her. _ She was brought back to what Michael had been saying about Social Services and she asked the question that had been preoccupying her mind. "Why not River Dog? You knew him and you were comfortable with him; they must have seen that."

Michael snorted, clearly showing what he thought of the foster care system. "They wouldn't have given custody to him because he was single and they felt pretty strongly that I needed to be in a two-parent environment."

Maria frowned. "Didn't that just create more trauma for you?"

"Yes and no. I was familiar with John because River Dog had brought him out to the desert to keep an eye on me when he couldn't be there, but, yeah, it was still pretty traumatic. I spent a lot of time with River Dog when my parents were at work, so between the three of them, I slowly started to adapt to civilized behavior." 

Michael's expression had turned pensive while he was talking and Maria wondered what was going through his mind at that moment. Was he thinking about his alien parents, wondering if they were dead or searching for him? Or was he thinking about his human family, who had made sacrifices, opened their home and their hearts to a little alien child with abilities and powers who had required special care and attention? Powers… did his parents know about them? Probably, but she had to ask anyway.

"So your parents know you're different."

"They know," he confirmed, nodding. "River Dog's spent countless hours helpin' me develop my abilities, helpin' me learn to control them, and teachin' me how to be myself without drawin' unnecessary attention to who I am. My parents are responsible for the rest of it and I'm lucky they're so patient." He grimaced. "I wasn't easy to deal with when they brought me home and I made it my personal goal to be as difficult as possible."

"Does Maggie know?"

Michael nodded. "My parents and my grandfather wanted things to be as normal as possible, so they explained things to her. It definitely helped when I was growin' up."

Maria thought about Michael's best friend. _Was Eddie aware of Michael's differences?_ She had a feeling that he did. "Your friend, Eddie, he knows too, doesn't he?"

"Um-hmm. His father was killed in an accident when he was a kid and his mother had to work two jobs just to make ends meet, so he spent most of his time with River Dog." He cocked his head to one side as he regarded her thoughtfully. "What made you think he knew? You only met him the one time."

Maria didn't answer at once, searching for the words to explain what she had felt about Eddie and his relationship with Michael. "He's very… I don't know, mystical, I guess. It's like he's completely comfortable with who he is, with his place in the universe… like he's completely at peace, y'know?"

"I knew he'd been spendin' too much time with River Dog," he muttered, nodding. "Yeah, I know exactly what you're talkin' about. It's like he's discovered the meanin' of life or somethin', but he's not sharin' the information." His head shot up to meet her gaze when she suddenly shifted, moving so that she was straddling his lap.

"I'm so glad you got a good family," she whispered, leaning forward and kissing him gently, "and that you can be yourself with them." She shook her head as she leaned back and framed his face in her hands. "And I am so glad you don't have to hide who you are with them." It only took moments for his silence to register and she hurried on before he had time to become uncomfortable. "Okay, tell me all about your secret powers," she said, slapping his shoulders.

Michael rolled his eyes, but took the out she was offering him. He wasn't used to anyone else knowing the big secret and she had the uncanny ability of being able to pinpoint his thoughts and emotions with just a few words. He shook that thought off and let his hands rest on her thighs as he met her gaze and smiled. "Let's get one thing straight, okay? I do not have secret powers… I have finely honed abilities."

"And who all knows about your finely honed abilities?" she asked, teasing another smile out of him. She chuckled when he couldn't come up with a response. "That's what I thought. So, if no one besides your family knows about them, they're secret powers and I want a demonstration. Please?"

The moment she brought the full-blown pout into play, he knew it was all over. "Oh, all right," he grumbled. He knew he was in trouble if she ever figured out just how potent that look was. "What d'you wanna see?"

_Now that was a loaded question if she'd ever heard one,_ she thought. "I don't know." She smiled flirtatiously. "What've you got?" 

Michael couldn't help the laughter that escaped him; she made him feel different than anyone else ever had. "What's your favorite color?"

"Lavender." 

"That's some kinda purple, right?" he asked, reaching up to run his fingers through her blond hair. He felt her nod and he met her gaze as he lowered his hand to her thigh once more. "You got a compact with you?"

"Um-hmm… why?" She reached around him to grab her bag, dragging it closer so she could dig around for the small compact she carried everywhere. Her fingers finally closed around it and she flipped it open as she raised it up to eye level, surprised when she caught sight of her reflection. Her right hand lifted and her fingertips brushed against her hair. "It's purple," she accused, but there was a hint of awe in her tone.

"Wrong shade?" Amusement made his voice shake and he held both hands up when she glared at him. "I like you better as a blond anyway." His hand brushed over her hair and within moments it was back to its normal shade.

"Okay, do something else," she urged, dropping the compact back in her bag after checking to be sure that her hair was the right color. "Come on, you can do better than that." She brushed her hands over his shoulders. "Do something challenging."

"Challenging, huh?" His dark eyes drifted down to his hands where they were resting on her thighs. "How do you feel about leather?" 

"Uh-uh," she denied, trying to read his expression. "You're not tellin' me you can turn denim into leather… are you?"

"Molecular manipulation," he said, grinning. "Got a preference? Pants? Skirt?"

"You're serious?" She shook her head but her gaze remained riveted to his hands. "No, I don't believe you."

"Took too long," he growled, "now it's my choice." Michael chuckled as he scraped his fingernails along the outer seam of her jeans, letting his mind focus on his goal. 

Maria watched him, fascinated by the depth of his concentration as he focused on what he was doing. Her gaze dropped to his hands when his fingers flexed against her legs and a moment later her eyes widened in disbelief when the material began to shift and change. As she watched, the blue denim began to disappear to be replaced by a black leather… _mini skirt? _She rolled her eyes and slapped his shoulder. "Michael!"

He had to force his gaze away from her bare thighs to meet her disapproving glare. "What?" he asked, going for innocent but fairly certain he hadn't pulled it off. "Too _mini_ on the mini skirt?" 

"Maybe not under normal circumstances," she chuckled, "but since I'm not exactly in a position to move, maybe we should save it for another time."

"Who says I want you to move?"

"How about you give me my jeans back and I won't move? Besides," she whispered, leaning in so that her lips were brushing against his right ear, "your hands are just the slightest bit distracting, and I've got a feeling I haven't seen everything you have to show me."

_She wasn't the only one who was being distracted_, Michael thought as he reversed the process. "Just so you know it's a real crime to cover those legs up."

Maria shivered at the gruff tone in his deep voice and filed that bit of information away for a later date. "I'll keep that in mind," she promised. "Now, c'mon, show me something else, Spaceboy!"

Michael lightly slapped her left thigh and nudged her so that he could stand up. "Okay, what next?" He was already bored with the show and tell but her green eyes sparkled with excitement and he just didn't have the heart to tell her no. "Want me to blow somethin' up?" _It seemed only right since that was what had gotten him into this mess in the first place._

"Really? Can I pick it out?"

"Just keep it clear of the horses."

"Does distance matter?" she asked curiously. 

"It depends; it gets a little tricky the farther away the target is, but I'm actually pretty good up to about half a mile as long as I can visualize what I'm aimin' for." He winced when he realized he was bragging and he quickly cleared his throat and motioned at the desert. "Okay, find me a target."

Maria couldn't resist an opportunity to tease him. "Well, since you seem to take issue with the local plant life, how about that cactus out there?" She pointed at a tall cactus with small flowers on it. "The one with the little white flowers on the right side? That one."

Michael followed the direction of her pointing finger. _No problem, a piece of cake._ "Okay."

Maria watched him as he turned and stared at the cactus she had picked out, cocking her head to the side when his hands remained at his sides. "Um, Michael?"

He turned when she called him again, raising one eyebrow in question. 

"Don't you need your hands to do this?"

"Huh-uh. The only reason that came into play yesterday is because it happened so quickly; I've been practicin' doin' this stuff with my mind for the past couple of years." He shook his head. "Unless it's an emergency situation, I normally do this stuff without usin' my hands." He smiled. "It's also not so obvious that it's me doin' it if no one sees me actually doin' anything."

"Oh, okay." She waved her hands and motioned for him to continue. 

Michael played along for a while before he needed a break from changing colors and blowing things up. "Think we could take a break from this?" he asked, turning to look at her where she was sitting on the boulder, her legs crossed Indian-style. 

"Of course." She winced. "You're probably tired now, huh?"

"Maybe a little, but it's more than likely because I didn't really get much sleep last night." He smiled as he moved closer to her, leaving only a couple of feet between them. "Wanna see one more?"

"Are you sure?" 

"One more and that's it. You trust me?" He smiled when Maria nodded without hesitation and he shook his hands out before relaxing his stance and concentrating on her.

Maria watched him and wondered what he was doing, but just as she was about to speak, she felt the air around her shift and as she looked down her eyes widened in shock. There was at least a foot of space between her and the boulder she had been sitting on and as she watched she was slowly lowered back to her spot. Amazed, her eyes shot to him and she jumped off of the boulder to stand in front of him. "Levitation? You can levitate things?" 

"Yep." He rubbed his eyes. "But no more today."

Maria threw herself into his arms and hugged him. "You need to get some rest." She walked beside him as they made their way back to where the horses were tied. "Y'know, now that I know about your…" She smirked. "Your abilities, you'll come in really handy if I ever have a fashion crisis."

Michael's answer was short and precise. "No." He'd better nip that one in the bud right now. Living with a mother and a sister, plus all his sister's friends, not to mention all of his female cousins, that were always coming into their home, he knew that girls and clothes were a bad combination. He knew that if he gave in to Maria's wishes, he would fall into an abyss and would never get out. _No way._

"Oh, c'mon, Michael," she coaxed.

"No, I draw the line at bein' your dressmaker." He released her to untie Rascal and gave her a leg up, waiting until she was comfortable before he went to untie his own horse. "Now, we can talk if you decide you need a bikini," he teased as he pulled himself up into the saddle and tossed a grin over his shoulder.

Maria just rolled her eyes and enjoyed the ride, filing away all that she had learned that day. He wasn't just an alien from some other planet, he was someone with thoughts, feelings, and emotions that ran deeper than he probably cared to admit. Her gaze traveled over him as he led the way and she smiled to herself. Admittedly, there was the fact that he was from some unknown planet somewhere in space, but the fact was that he was all hers. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Part 15**

Maria leaned back against her car as she waited for Michael to move the truck so she could leave. "So, you didn't tell me why your grandfather calls you Magnum," she said when he joined her.

He smirked and shook his head. "I never said I was gonna give you the answer to that one," he denied. "You want it, you're gonna have to work for it."

She moved to stand in front of him and crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at him, trying to visualize him in a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt. _It just wasn't gonna happen,_ she thought, shaking her head. _She just couldn't see him in anything that bright and flowery. Maybe he had been to the islands. _

"What're you thinkin'?" he asked, shifting under her scrutinizing gaze.

"Have you ever been lei'd?"

His eyebrows shot up and he had to quickly clear his throat to keep from choking. "What?" _He must've heard her wrong!_ _There was no way she had just thrown that question out there! _"Did you just ask if I've ever gotten laid?"

"Yes." She frowned at him. "What's the big deal?"

"I don't know! It's just not a question a guy gets asked everyday," he exclaimed.

"Okay, you're sounding way too defensive over an innocent question!" She held her hands up in surrender. "Excuse me for asking; I didn't think you'd get so upset over being asked if you'd ever – "

Michael's tone was one of shock and he yelled without realizing it. "An innocent question?" _What the hell was she thinking? That was __**not**__ an innocent question. She was asking him if he'd ever had sex as if it were as mundane as asking him if he'd ever been to the zoo!_

"Michael, I realize you'd probably have a coronary if anyone ever placed a lei around your neck, but I just thought – "

"Wait, wait, wait! You're talkin' about flowers? Like those things they stick on tourists when they get off the planes in Hawaii?"

"Of course, what else would I be…" Her eyes rolled heavenwards when his smirk was accompanied by a smug expression and she realized the double entendre that had unintentionally slipped out. "Oh, okay, I get it," she muttered, nodding. "Men! God, alien or human, you've all got one thing on your dirty little minds."

Michael laughed, relieved that she hadn't taken offense to the path his mind had automatically wandered down. "Hey, how was I supposed to know you were talkin' about a bunch of flowers? Why in the world would you even ask that?"

"Look, you're not giving me a lot to go on with the whole Magnum thing, okay? The only option that leaves me with is reasonable deduction." She shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "I figured maybe it had something to do with that old TV show or maybe you had been to Hawaii."

"Which led to you propositioning me." Her expression had him laughing again and he leaned forward to pull her into his arms. "I'll tell you this much; I've never been to Hawaii and no, I've never been… lei'd."

"I think the least you could do is give me a real clue," she grumbled against his chest.

"Huh-uh." He couldn't wait to see what crazy idea she came up with next. "Nope, this one's all on you to figure out."

Maria grumbled under her breath, "It's not fair. It's not like a nickname like Magnum is bad. It's actually pretty cool. You should be proud of it and you should be willing to share the story with me. Honestly, it's not as if it's a stupid nickname, or even a ridiculous middle name like the one I had the misfortune of being stuck with."

No sooner had the words passed her lips, Maria swore. _Damn, she didn't want him to know that!_ Nobody was ever supposed to know about her middle name; she had sworn on her dog's life when she was seven years old that she would never, _ever_ talk about her middle name or even mention it. Not even Alex and Liz knew about that one. Why on earth had she opened her big mouth and let that little piece of information slip? Oh yeah, that's right, she knew why. She had lost all control of her mental faculties the second he had taken her in his arms. _Freaking hormones and freaking Michael for being so sexy! Yeah, sexy to the point that she had almost revealed her most sacred secret. He was worse than a truth serum._ She could only pray that he hadn't paid any attention to what she had said. She raised her head to look at him and she immediately knew she wasn't going to be so lucky. He had an expression on his face that reminded her of the one a cat who's been looking for a mouse to chase and have fun with would be wearing. His next words confirmed her suspicion…

"A ridiculous middle name? Now, now, now, why on earth would you wanna hide that, hmm? You've been on my back ever since you found out about my grandfather callin' me Magnum, and all along you've been hiding this mysterious middle name of yours? Why? Is it really that bad?" Michael felt smug. _Oh, he was gonna have so much fun with this one. He could see that it was something that had the potential of pissing her off big time._ That was just another reason to not let it go. One way or the other he would find out her middle name, or his name wasn't Michael Guerin!

Maria groaned. _Damn, he was onto it and she knew that he wouldn't let go. He was like a dog with a bone when he was interested in something._ Still, if he thought that she was going to cave and tell him, he had better think again.

Michael saw that she was ready to proudly defend her position like a brave little soldier. _Oh, yeah, this was gonna be good._ He couldn't resist giving her a foreshadowing of what was to come.

"Okay, you've had a tough day, so I won't bother you with that." He paused for a second, observing Maria's relieved face before going for the kill, "So, I'll let it go for today… Maria _Gertrude_ Deluca."

_Gertrude?!_ Maria saw red! "Gertrude? I am going to kill you, Guerin, for even thinking that could possibly be my middle name!" She launched herself at him, and he caught her, letting the unexpected attack take them to the ground. He rolled around on the sand with her, careful not to hurt her as he laughed at her determination. _She was short but she didn't lack strength or guts - that was for sure!_ He caught her wrists and pinned them to the ground above her head, effectively immobilizing her as his gaze zeroed in on her lips. His breathing suddenly changed, becoming rapid and uneven, and he bent his head to kiss her. He forgot where he was, lost in her, and he released her hands when he heard her begging him breathlessly to please, please, let her touch him.

Maria's hands tore at his shirt, fighting with the material to get it out of the way so she could feel his skin, relaxing slightly once her hands settled on the warm, smooth skin of his back. She couldn't remember ever having such an intense reaction to any other guy; the burning need for physical contact that he had brought to life in her was unexpected, but she welcomed it. She growled when he shifted and his lips moved to her neck, and she reluctantly moved her hands from his back to his head so she could direct his attention back in the right direction.

Michael allowed her to draw him back into the kiss without complaint, quickly forgetting his intention to leave his mark on her. It was a territorial thing and he knew some girls got seriously pissed off about it, but he had a feeling she wouldn't be one of them… he also had a feeling she was equally territorial.

The sound of a car horn honking interrupted them and he looked up in time to see the cloud of dust left in the wake of the vehicle. "The front yard probably isn't the best place for this," he said, his voice raspy.

Maria bit back a complaint when he stood and pulled her to her feet, but only because she could read the regret in his expression. "Now, about the Magnum nickname…"

"Good try, but it's not gonna happen. You wanna know what it is, you're gonna have to figure it out all on your own."

"Fine, I will." She leaned back in his arms and looked up at him. "I really do need to go," she whispered. "I've got homework to finish tonight."

"I'll see you again soon though." It wasn't a question.

She smiled. "Yeah. I work at the Crashdown tomorrow and Tuesday after school, so it'll probably be Wednesday before I can get out here again."

Michael frowned. "The _Crashdown_?"

"Yes, it's an alien-themed café. I live in Roswell, what do you expect?" She shook her head at him when his expression didn't change. "Don't frown at me; I didn't name it."

_Maybe not, but that didn't mean he had to like hearing about the place!_ "Well, don't expect me to go there or anything."

"Not even to see me?" Maria asked, her tone hopeful.

"I have two words for you, Maria; psychologically damaging."

"It's not like I was planning to drag you around the UFO museums or anything." She rolled her eyes at him and stretched up to kiss him. "It's fine if you don't wanna come out to Roswell; I can see your point about it being damaging. Although, the so-called experts who think they know everything about aliens obviously got it all wrong because you don't look anything like they said you would." She took a long look at his body, scanning him from head to toe and enjoying it when he shifted under her stare. She just barely refrained from reaching out to sneak her hands up under his shirt one more time so she could feel the hard planes of his back again. Her palms were itching to touch him again, and she was on the verge of succumbing to that temptation, but before she could act on that little fantasy, loud music announced the arrival of his sister and her friends and she turned her head to watch them pull into the driveway.

Maria wondered at the tension she felt in him, but quickly remembered that he had told her earlier that his sister was mad at him. She started to speak to Maggie when she climbed out of the jeep, but the unwelcoming expression the girl aimed at her brother didn't invite conversation. The other girl turned to speak to her friends before going in the house without a single word to him.

Silence followed the front door slamming and Christina leaned on the open door of the jeep after climbing out to take the front seat. "Would you please just apologize for whatever you did?"

"Why do you assume that I did it?"

"Because this is how she always gets when she's pissed off at you. There are only four more weeks until the Harvest Dance and while we were out today, she scared away the guy I want to go with because you pissed her off. So, fix it, because if Morgan James doesn't ask me to go with him, you're gonna take me to the dance." She got in the jeep and shut the door, smiling and waving as Linda backed out of the driveway.

"Sounds like you'd better go talk to your sister," Maria commented after the girls had gone. "I need to get started on my way home anyway."

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John took his eyes off of the road for a moment to glance at his wife. Neither of them had expected to hear what his father had told them and she had been silent since leaving River Dog's home. Learning of their son's early morning visit to his grandfather for advice concerning the situation he had found himself in with Maria had been a shock, and John knew Catherine was doing her best to come up with reasons why the old man was mistaken.

"Catherine, we knew the time was gonna come when he'd meet the right girl and he'd wanna tell her the truth about himself."

"He's seventeen years old, John," she snapped. "He's not old enough to know who the right girl is."

"I knew," he said quietly.

"That's different; we practically knew each other from birth. He's only known this girl for a very short amount of time. No," she denied, shaking her head. "Your father's wrong, there's no way Michael would tell her... the amount of trust that would be required for him to reveal the truth..." She shook her head again. "No, there's no way that level of trust exists between them yet."

"I disagree. I'm not sayin' that he would tell her because he just wants to share that part of himself at this stage of their relationship, but Dad said Michael was fairly certain that she saw him use his powers. In that case, do you really think it'd be better for him to lie to her?"

"This conversation is pointless. Michael told River Dog that he wasn't positive she saw him using his powers so he only _thinks_ she saw something. We'll just have to come up with an explanation that makes sense before they see each other again."

"So you want him to lie to her?"

"If it protects him, yes."

"Dad seems to think she could handle the truth." He glanced at Catherine, noting the stubborn expression on her face. "My dad's a very good judge of character, and while he admits that Maria's a little on the odd side, he also said that he had a feelin' that she - "

"I'm not interested in discussing your father's beliefs right now, John; there's nothing mystical about this." Catherine sighed in irritation. _Why couldn't John see that telling a seventeen-year-old girl was not an option?_ She knew he trusted his father's judgment implicitly, but this was a risk that was too great to take based on the old man's feelings. "If at some point - and I mean in the distant future - Michael decides that she's the right girl, then we can decide how to tell her the truth."

"How do you think she'll take that? Lyin' to her now and tellin' her the truth at some point in the future?"

"If she sticks around and she really loves him then she'll understand why it was necessary."

John shook his head, letting her know he didn't agree with her thinking. He wasn't going to make her see reason on this and he knew it. It made him nervous just thinking that Michael might tell Maria the truth, but he trusted his father, and River Dog had assured him that if it came down to Michael revealing his secret, she could be trusted to keep it.

"Why don't we just go home and see where the boy's mind is before we start tellin' him what he can and can't tell his girlfriend," he suggested. He didn't bother pointing out that if Michael had already made his mind up they weren't likely to change it. He turned the truck in the direction of the house and drove the rest of the way in silence.

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Michael grabbed a glass of water and a snack before going to his room and sitting down in front of the computer desk. He leaned back in the chair and let his gaze rove over the shelf above his desk, taking in the pictures mixed in with the model cars, stacks of comic books, CD's, and the collection of sketches he had done over the years. His dark eyes settled on a picture of him and Maggie that had been taken not long after he had come to live with them and he shook his head as he remembered the first time the two of them had met.

He glanced down at the crème-filled sponge cake he was unwrapping and he smiled as he lost himself in the memory. He had finally become accustomed to River Dog and John, and one day, they had decided to bring him in from the desert. He still hadn't been able to talk at that point, and he had only begun to associate certain words with things, but walking into the house between the two men had been so completely different than the desert.

_The little boy looked around in awe, reaching up to grasp the rough cloth of River Dog's shirt to keep him from going away. He stuck his thumb in his mouth, with only a fleeting thought being given to the bitter taste. There were things everywhere and he took a few tentative steps towards the first thing he could see, releasing River Dog so he could reach out and touch it. Before his fingers could make contact with the thing, there was a loud noise and he jerked around to see something small run past him. He latched onto River Dog's shirt once more, hugging his side as he watched… it. It made noise… a lot of noise, and it moved a lot. _

_John moved and spoke to It and Michael cocked his head to one side curiously. His eyes widened in fear when It moved suddenly and he hid behind River Dog. He could hear the familiar sound of the man's voice as he spoke and the trembling in his little body began to calm when a rough hand settled on his shoulder, the touch making him feel not so afraid. He cautiously peered around River Dog when it was quiet again, certain that it had gone away. He didn't see it and he crept around the man's body in an attempt to see if it was still there or if it had gone away._

_He stepped out once he was fairly certain it was safe and he moved closer to the thing he had been looking at earlier. He touched the thing, rubbing his hand back and forth, and was quickly fascinated at the realization that if he moved his hand one way it felt soft and if he moved it the other way, it was rough. He walked along in front of the thing, turning around when he bumped into something hard. His hand patted the hard surface and he stared at it when it made a sound, repeating the motion a moment later. He quickly lost interest in the hard thing, going back to the soft/rough thing and rubbing it again. _

_It suddenly came from behind the soft/rough thing, coming over the top of it and making so much noise that it scared him and he scrambled over the hard thing to get away from it. His eyes darted around nervously and he panicked when he realized he couldn't go to the hiding place. He crawled under the hard thing and curled up as small as he could, sticking his thumb in his mouth as he shivered. He observed It, tracking its movements from the corner of his eyes as he waited to see if the little being was going to be a threat. He could hear River Dog's voice but he resisted when the man tried to coax him out of the new hiding place, kicking and clawing at the hands when they touched him._

_They finally left him alone and he stayed there until he fell asleep. It wasn't as bright when he woke up again and he glanced around to determine if it was safe to leave the hiding place. He froze when he felt something soft touch his arm and fear caused him to stop breathing as he realized that It was touching him and making quiet sounds. It moved back when he shifted and it held something out towards him; whatever the thing was, it smelled tempting and he gingerly reached for it._

_His fingers closed around the spongy thing and he squeezed it gently, bringing it to his nose to sniff it cautiously. It smelled different than the… he struggled to remember what River Dog called it and his mind finally latched onto… food, that was it. He licked it experimentally before taking a tiny bite and his eyes widened in wonder at the taste. He crept out of his hiding place and he looked at It from the other side of the hard thing before he took a bite of the spongy thing and chewed heartily. _

_He studied It as they ate the spongy things and he cocked his head to one side when it started to make sounds again, attempting to decipher what it was saying. It was the same color as John but it was much smaller, and it was loud most of the time. He didn't look away when It looked at him directly and his gaze followed it closely when it moved to the end of the soft/rough thing and climbed up on it before reaching for a strange looking thing at the end. He heard a small sound and he gasped inaudibly when light exploded around them and he shielded his eyes at the unexpected brightness._

_He peeked between his fingers when It touched him again and he watched it pick up a small thing and put it in his hand before squeezing his fingers around it. He lowered his other hand and his curiosity got the better of him when it slid a funny-shaped thing in front of him and he leaned forward over it. He watched it place his hand over the funny-shaped thing and he allowed it to move his hand around, fascinated when the thing under his hand suddenly changed colors. He refused to release the small thing when It tried to take it from him, and he watched as it held out a different small thing. He took the small thing and held it along with the other one, watching It and mimicking its motions as it moved its own small thing, amazed when more another color appeared._

Michael stared at the half-eaten Twinkie in his right hand, smiling at the memory of the first one he'd ever had. Maggie had been relentless as she followed him around; thrilled to be able to introduce him to the things she loved. For months after his introduction to crayons, he had been fascinated with them, and he had been upset to learn that Twinkies were not a food they were allowed to eat all the time. He had eventually gotten over it as new things had been discovered and he had become more comfortable with his family. He finished the dessert and got up to go knock on Maggie's bedroom door, leaning back against the wall and waiting for her to call out.

"What do you want?" she snapped, jerking the door open.

"I wanna know why you're pissed at me." He shrugged. "You wouldn't stay mad at me this long just because I wanted to talk to River Dog alone. Or because you had to call Linda to come pick you up."

"Don't think that just because you didn't have to tell Maria the truth that I'm gonna just forget that you were willin' to take that risk. What if you had told her the truth and she had run off and told someone else? It's dangerous, Michael."

He followed her as she stalked down the hall to the kitchen to get a glass of water before going back to her room. "Maggie, she knows the truth! And you know what? She didn't run away screamin', she didn't have a major freak-out, and she doesn't think I'm some weird life form that needs to be put under a microscope." He braced one hand against the doorframe above her head when she stood in the doorway, blocking his entrance to her room. "Why're you so pissed off about this?"

"Because you told her that you're an alien!" Maggie shouted before stepping back and slamming the door in his face.

"And she's fine with it!" he yelled before stalking back to his own room.

In the living room John and Catherine exchanged a concerned glance when they heard the heated argument between their children. It was rare that Michael and Maggie's fights escalated to anything more serious than disagreements where she sulked and pouted, and he stayed in his room and played loud music for several hours. The teenagers hardly ever raised their voices to the decibel level their parents had just heard, and that alone would have been reason for concern, but the content of the argument was what really worried them.

John was more surprised by the argument between his children than he was to learn that Michael had already talked to Maria. The boy had insisted that she was fine with the truth and he was relieved to learn that his father had been right. _Again._ In a way he was glad that his son was able to be with someone who really _knew_ him. Yes, it was going to create friction in some other areas, but if it meant Michael could be with this young woman and not be forced to keep up the pretense that he was just like everyone else, it was probably going to be worth it.

Beside him, Catherine was on the verge of hyperventilating. _The truth was out... Michael had told the girl that he was different from everyone else. What were they going to do now?_ She looked up when John nudged her as she looked into his accepting eyes she felt a calming sensation come over her. He had always had that effect on her when she was on the verge of an all-out panic attack and she had never been more grateful for it than she was at that moment.

"Hey," he whispered, "you heard him - she's okay with it... with him. There's no need to freak out over how she'll react because now we know. If she had reacted badly he'd be out in the desert; he wouldn't be here arguing with Maggie." He nodded towards the kitchen. "C'mon, let's go make dinner and figure out how to handle this now that she knows."

Catherine nodded and took his hand when he held it out to her. _They would figure it out_, she thought confidently. She still wasn't happy that Michael's girlfriend knew the truth about him, but they would deal with it just like they had dealt with every other change they had faced over the past twelve years. She just needed to be calm, patient, and understanding.


	16. Chapter 16

**Part 16**

Catherine quickly realized that patience was overrated. She had expected to see Michael as soon as she and John started making noise in the kitchen, but he had yet to make an appearance. Calm had made itself scarce within seconds of her mental declaration and she felt like she was just waiting for the next shock to be thrown her way.

"We need to talk to him, John," she said, worry making her tone sharper than she had intended.

"Isn't this what you wanted? For him to be with someone who would accept him for who he is?" John pulled the items for the salad out of the refrigerator while she started dinner, wondering what she was going to say.

"Yes, but his secret has always helped him maintain a certain distance between him and the girls he's been out with. If Maria knows the truth, the biggest barrier between them no longer exists. If he told her and she's accepted him without reservation…" She shook her head. "There's nothing to keep them from going further physically, if they're already this emotionally involved, and we don't know what the repercussions of a sexual relationship would be since he's not… human."

John knew how difficult it was for Catherine to say that one single word. Michael had been her little boy from the moment she had first seen him and she was the one who had given him his first name. The people with social services had given the boy his surname, but Catherine had been the one to name him Michael.

"We knew this day would eventually come, Cath," he said, trying to ease her worries. "It had to come sooner or later; the boy's almost eighteen years old."

"I'd have preferred later. I guess I just always thought there would be more time. I had no idea he was going to get this serious about Maria so quickly." She sighed and turned away from the stove. "We do need to talk to him, John; we have a responsibility to make sure he understands that his actions will have consequences. It's for her safety as much as his."

They fell silent when Michael stepped into the kitchen, and as his gaze bounced between them, he realized they had overheard his argument with Maggie. His expression became mutinous as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Maria won't tell anyone." His tone was adamant. "She's fine with who I am."

"Michael, no one's saying she has a problem with who you are," Catherine denied. "We're just concerned that you're moving too fast and that maybe you don't know all of the things that you need to consider."

"She's fine with who I am, and that's all I need to know." Michael's face was stony, his expression showing that he had no intention of discussing the subject any further. In his mind, things were going well with Maria and his family just needed to trust him to know what he was doing.

"No, I'm certain that you wouldn't have told her about yourself if you didn't trust her. You know the risks you would face if someone untrustworthy were to get their hands on that information. Granted, there are some concerns there, but, that's only to be expected, and I'm sure that after I talk with Maria I'll feel much better."

"Mom," he complained, "you don't need to talk to her."

"The other big concern," she went on, ignoring him, "is that you don't fully understand the repercussions of what a sexual relationship could – "

"Mom!" His features were flooded with embarrassment. _This was __**not**__ a conversation he wanted to have with his mother! _

"Michael, why don't you and I go have a talk, Son," John said, intervening before his wife could go into details and scar the boy for life. He smirked when Michael practically ran from the room and he glanced at his wife. "I'll have a talk with him, Cath, man to man, okay? Trust me, he doesn't need his mother present for this discussion."

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Catherine continued the dinner preparations but her mind was consumed with her son's secret being revealed and what it could potentially mean for him. John was right, she did want Michael to be with someone who could love him for who he was, but she had never expected the two of them to move forward so fast. Michael was not the type of person who opened up unless he felt comfortable enough to do so, and the fact that he and Maria had already reached that level was cause for concern.

She knew Michael could be impulsive, but not where his identity was concerned; he had always been very cautious about that. She also wasn't blind; she had seen the way the two of them had looked at each other the day before. She had only spoken with the young woman briefly but she had seen enough to know why her son was attracted to her.

Her first instinct was to trust Maria. There was something indefinable about her that made Catherine believe she could be trusted, but she'd still feel better once she'd had a chance to talk to her one on one.

When John had come to her with the fantastic story of a little alien boy living alone in the desert, she had wondered if the sun had finally started to affect his brain. And when her father-in-law had started spouting nonsense about the same thing, she had decided that they were testing her, seeing how far they could go with their little joke before she called their bluff. She had been shocked when she had come home from a long day at work to find the little boy curled up under the coffee table in the living room, sound asleep.

_John had been sitting at the desk in the corner, going over the monthly bills while Maggie sat in his lap, quietly reading a book._

"_John?" She gestured to the little boy when her husband turned to look at her, his eyebrows lifting in question._

"_That's the little guy I was tellin' you about," he answered, smirking at her. "You didn't believe he existed, did you?" He put Maggie down and watched her run across the room to greet her mother. _

_Catherine spent a few minutes with Maggie, talking about her day before sending her to get ready for bed. She had been able to pick up a few extra hours after her regular shift and she knew her husband would've already fed their daughter and overseen her bath before sitting down to go over the books. "Let me get her into bed and we'll talk."_

_When she had come back her gaze had automatically been drawn to the little boy sleeping under the coffee table. "You couldn't get him to at least sleep on the couch?"_

"_He's been sleepin' in a cave for the past few weeks; I don't think he's very comfortable bein' visible… he's used to hidin' from people." His gaze was drawn to the little boy. "We're supposed to call Social Services in the mornin'."_

_She looked at him sharply. "You said he's different… that he's an alien… how certain are you that you're right?"_

"_I have no doubts, Cath, none at all."_

_She knelt down beside the coffee table and studied the little boy's filthy features. He was probably around Maggie's age, maybe a little bit older, and his arms were wrapped tightly around a teddy bear, his nose buried in its fur. "John, when you told me about him, you said he has special abilities."_

"_Yeah. While we've been watchin' him, we've observed him using them on several occasions but for now, it seems that he uses them as a defense mechanism. He doesn't seem to know that he's doin' it because every time it's happened, it's scared him and he's taken off for his hidin' place. My father thinks he needs to be with a family that can deal with him bein' different, one that can help him learn to control his abilities, and blend in with the world around him."_

"_Maggie seems to be quite taken with him," she mused aloud. _

"_Yeah, she spent most of the evening followin' him around and showin' him new things."_

"_She didn't want a story tonight, she just wanted to talk about Magnum."_

_John shrugged when she glanced back at him. "My father gave him the name; the boy hasn't spoken a word the entire time we've been watchin' him. I think he's capable of speech though because he'll make sounds when somethin' confuses him, makes him mad, or amuses him. He doesn't understand our language, but I've caught him tryin' to mimic words without makin' a sound."_

_Catherine's gaze roamed over the little boy, frowning when she realized his pants and shirt were both on backwards. "You said your father found him wandering naked in the desert?"_

"_Um-hmm, he doesn't have a clue what to do with clothes." John chuckled and shook his head. "He was quite fascinated with the zipper though; I think he liked the sound it made when he discovered that it moves. Boy played with it for quite a while before he lost interest and moved on to somethin' else."_

"_John, he can't be taken by Social Services," Catherine said, reaching down to brush a gentle hand over the little boy's unruly hair. "If they learn what he can do, there's no telling what they'll do to him." _

"_They'll have to take him, Cath, even if it's just temporarily, before they'll let anyone take him. They've gotta make sure he doesn't belong to someone – "_

"_If he belonged to someone, why was he wandering alone in the desert?"_

"_Are you suggesting that we should keep him?"_

_Catherine watched the little boy for several minutes before she looked at her husband again. "We could do it, couldn't we? I know things are tight right now but he needs a family… he needs us." She felt her heart go out to the little boy when he curled up tighter and he started to shiver. She grabbed an afghan off of the couch and shook it out before draping it over him, hoping it would warm him sufficiently. "John?"_

_He nodded when she looked at him. "We can swing it, Cath," he assured her. "I've been talking to my father about that very thing; he feels it's very important that the boy be raised by people who can help him, teach him, and guide him. I'm pretty sure I can get on at the steel factory in town for the evening shift, and my father said he could keep an eye on the boy while we're at work. He's already keepin' Maggie for us until one of us gets home now."_

"_We need to give him a name, John." She studied him for several long minutes before she suddenly smiled and said decisively, "We'll call him Michael; it's the name of the patron saint of warriors and soldiers." She shook her head at the little boy's filthy condition. "We also need to give him a bath."_

"_We're gonna have our hands full with him, Cath; you ready for that?"_

No, she hadn't been ready for everything that had come with Michael's addition to their family, but no one was ever actually ready for all of the changes that took place when a child came into their lives. They had faced challenges that they wouldn't have faced if he were completely human, but she wouldn't change him for anything. Even though he was different, and he had special abilities, he had grown up to be a son his parents were proud of; she and John couldn't have been any happier if Michael had been born to them. She knew he had questions about where he came from and why he had been abandoned in the desert, and she hoped that if he ever found the answers, he could handle them.

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John wandered outside when he didn't find Michael in his room, not surprised that the boy had retreated outside to avoid any further mention of sex by his mother. He couldn't help chuckling, well aware that the conversation was one that no boy ever wanted to have with his mother. He followed the sidewalk around to the driveway when he heard the sound of a basketball being bounced against the pavement.

He leaned against the corner of the garage and watched Michael as he made a half-hearted attempt at shooting the ball into the basket. He stepped out of the shadows and cleared his throat to announce his presence even though he suspected the boy already knew he was there.

"I realize the potential damage it could cause for a guy if he had to hear anything pertaining to sex from his mother. On the other hand, your mom's right, Michael; it is important for you to understand the repercussions of getting into a sexual relationship. You've gotten very close with Maria in a relatively short amount of time and we certainly didn't expect that you would be tellin' her about yourself so soon, so I'm sure you can understand our concerns that you may be thinkin' about a physical relationship." John leaned over to pick up the abandoned basketball and bounced it a couple of times. "Is there anything you wanna know? Any questions you wanna ask?"

"I'm not retarded, Dad, I know about sex," Michael mumbled. He wasn't sure this was much better than having this talk with his mom. "Me an' Eddie talk about stuff." He shrugged. "And I had to take Sex Ed. in school, remember?"

"Yes, I remember." _Quite well, in fact,_ John thought. Catherine had been certain that the education system was intent on corrupting her baby boy by teaching sex education at school, which he had found interesting since she had been fine with Maggie taking the course the following year. She had informed him later that since she could openly discuss sex with their daughter, she had things firmly under control. She hadn't had the same assurance with Michael and it had made her crazy. "But, if there's anything you wanna know that wasn't covered in class… or in the boys' locker room, I want you to know that you can talk to me about it. Y'know, if you need to know anything about condoms, what to do – "

_Oh my God! Could this be anymore humiliating?_ Michael wondered. "Dad, I'm not some hermit who lives under a rock and has no clue about what goes on in the outside world! I know what to do if the situation presents itself. I know all about safe sex, so you don't have to worry about what I'm doin'. Or not doin'."

"Michael, this isn't a personal attack, Son." He smiled and shook his head. "I'm sure that's how it feels, but I promise you, it's not. Your mother and I can tell that you've got some pretty strong feelings for Maria, and that tends to complicate things. When you find a girl that makes you weak in the knees, makes your palms sweat, and your heart pounds just because she's in the same room with you… well, it makes you wanna take things farther."

"How much farther?" Michael asked grudgingly.

"As far as she'll let you take them. And God knows, you're gonna wanna take things to the limit, Michael, but you've gotta remember that there are some pretty big differences between men and women. They have a tendency to get emotionally involved and that makes things difficult if you're not both equally invested in the relationship. For women, making love can be a very emotional thing… don't get me wrong here, Michael, if it's right, that emotional connection will just about stop your breath in your chest. You care about her, that's pretty obvious, but don't take the physical involvement to that level if you aren't willin' to make the emotional commitment; don't do it just to find out what all the talk's about. You also need to remember that there are biological differences between the two of you and you don't know what affect bodily – "

Michael's hands shot up in a _stop_ gesture and he shook his head. "Please don't go any farther with that statement. I think I can complete it without an actual exchange of words." He leaned against the truck and rubbed his face with his right hand. "Look, Dad, me an' Maria, we're just getting started here; I'm not gonna lie to you and say that I haven't had any of those kinds of thoughts, but we haven't acted on anything yet."

"But you think it's a possibility."

"I think she feels the same way about me that I feel about her and we're gonna see where it leads us. She knows that I'm not human but she still wants to be with me. I don't know if that makes her crazy about me or just insane, but either way, we're in this thing together." He stared at the ground so he wasn't looking at his dad when he said what he was about to say. "Y'know, she kissed me after I told her the truth, and I mean she seriously kissed me, and nothin' happened to 'er. She didn't get hurt or anything."

John could hear the smile in his son's voice as he admitted something that he knew Michael hadn't shared with anyone else. He nodded and patted the boy's shoulder as he moved to lean against the truck beside him. "You'll be careful if the two of you decide to take things further?" He smiled at the mumbled agreement he got before Michael crossed his arms over his chest and looked to the side, away from him. "So, what is it that makes her so special?"

"I don't really wanna talk about that, Dad."

John nodded and let it go, not wanting to embarrass Michael any more than he already had. "Why don't you go get washed up for dinner," he suggested, waving his son inside.

"You're not comin' in?"

"I'll be there in a minute."

"Mom's not gonna say anything about this, is she?"

"I think you're safe, Son. Go on in; I'll be in soon." John watched his son walk back to the house and thought about how much the boy had changed since the first time he had seen him.

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The park in the center of Roswell was quiet for a Sunday evening, the only sound Liz's laughter as she watched Alex from her perch on the swings. He was hanging upside-down on the monkey bars, his legs hooked over the steel bars, and his hooded sweatshirt bunched up under his long arms as it slid down his torso.

"Do you ever wonder why we stop doin' stuff like this when we grow up?" he asked.

"Because we realize how silly we really look?" They had agreed to meet in the park to discuss the letter and Max had called a few minutes ago to let them know they were running late.

"Nah, I don't think that's it."

"Okay," Liz agreed, turning her head to smile when Max's hands settled over hers on the chains.

"Well, I guess that's part of it," he said. "See, doin' stuff like this, playin' on the monkey bars… it gives you a chance to let your guard down, be yourself without worryin' about what everyone else's thinkin'."

"Really?"

"Yeah. People worry way too much about what everybody else thinks about 'em and as a result they forget how to just be themselves, how to relax and enjoy life."

"This is how you relax and enjoy life?"

Isabel's voice was unexpected and Alex scrambled to wrap his hands around the bars as his foot slipped free from where he had hooked it to maintain his balance. He looked at her from his upside-down position and his wide grin surfaced with ease. "Yup, wanna try it?"

"No."

"You sure?" he asked, teasing. "You don't know what you're missin'."

"I'm gonna have to stick with… no." Her gaze traveled over his contorted body, hiding her amusement when his wallet slipped from his back pocket and his hasty effort to catch it caused him to let go of the bars.

"Oh, crap!" Alex yelled, realizing his mistake seconds too late. "Just for the record, that is not the way you're supposed to get down off of the monkey bars."

Isabel shook her head at him as he stood and brushed sand off of his clothes. _What did it take to put him in a bad mood?_ she wondered.

Max pushed the swing Liz was sitting in, his dark gaze carefully watching his sister and Alex as they talked. It wasn't exactly a deep or meaningful conversation, but there was something there that he couldn't put a label on.

Alex shoved his wallet down into his back pocket and shook the long chain out, keeping it from knotting up. "Okay, so what're we meeting for?"

"I thought we should get an update on the letter, see if you've had a chance to make any headway on that code," Max said.

Isabel leaned against the steel frame Alex had been swinging from just a few minutes before, her gaze trained on the nails of her right hand. "Max, do you really think a meeting was necessary for this?" she asked, sounding bored. "Couldn't you have just used the telephone and called him?"

Max shook his head and ignored his sister's question as he waited for Alex to answer.

"While the whole cloak-and-dagger routine appeals to my more dramatic side, it really wasn't necessary," Alex said with a grin. "I'm not bustin' your chops for bein' cautious or anything because I understand the need for secrecy, but you could've just called and asked if I'd had time to read over the letter or somethin' equally obscure." He shook his head. "We haven't been able to crack the code yet."

Max glanced down at Liz, missing the look that passed between his sister and Alex. "We?"

"He's not talking about another person, Max," Liz assured him. "He always refers to his computer as if it were a living being."

"Oh."

Isabel crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes when Alex just grinned at her. He had known she would jump to conclusions and immediately think that he was revealing that she was helping him. She had never once told him that she didn't want anyone to know they were working together, but he had somehow picked up on it and he hadn't said a word.

"Do you think there's really a chance that the code, whatever language it's written in, can be broken?" Max paused. "Or is it a waste of time?"

Alex glanced at Isabel under the guise of turning to watch a passing car and nodded. "Yeah, there's a chance; no guarantees, but there's a chance. I think it's too soon to give up on it, Max. Just give me a little more time to work on it, okay?"

Isabel held her breath for several seconds while she waited for her brother to make up his mind and answer Alex. At some point, breaking the code within the letter had become important to her but she wasn't ready to examine her reasons or try to explain it to Max.

"Okay, but you'll let us know if you find anything?"

Alex nodded. "You'll know as soon as I know somethin'."

Once the others had left, Max and Liz for a date, and Isabel for some group thing with some of her friends, Alex cut through the park, taking a shortcut to his neighborhood. He glanced up before stepping off of the curb a few minutes later, pausing when he recognized Maria's car as it passed in front of him. He wondered where she was going… or where she was coming from… on a Sunday night.


	17. Chapter 17

**Part 17**

John had been skeptical when his father had told him about the little alien he'd found in the desert. The crash had happened way back in '47 and other than the occasional sighting, nothing paranormal had really happened so he couldn't find a reasonable explanation for an alien child to suddenly appear in the desert. He had quickly revised his thinking when he had accompanied his father out to the desert and he had seen the boy for himself.

_He had stayed back at River Dog's request, watching from a safe distance as the older man placed a tin of cornbread, a sliced apple, and a bottle of water on a flat rock before retreating._

"_The alien likes apples?"_

"_We'll see," River Dog said, settling down beside John to wait. "He loves the cornbread but he's picky where fruits and vegetables are concerned."_

"_That's why you've been askin' Catherine to make cornbread for you?"_

"_I put some out for him a little while back and he ate it without any problems." River Dog nodded at something and John turned to follow his gaze. "Watch."_

_He knew surprise was probably evident in his features when a little boy of five or six crept around the outcropping of rocks and glanced around cautiously before he hurried to scramble up onto the flat rock where River Dog had left the food. John glanced up at the sky, squinting against the bright sunlight, before he looked back at the naked boy._

"_Dad, I thought you said you brought clothes out for him."_

_River Dog chuckled. "He arranged them on the floor of the cave and sleeps on them."_

"_As hot as it is out here, he's gonna end up with sunburn, heatstroke, or both. And if he continues to run around naked, he's gonna end up with sunburn in places that really aren't gonna be a whole lot of fun for him." He stared at his father when his serene expression remained unchanged. "He can't be allowed to stay out here like this."_

"_Think very carefully about what you're getting ready to do, John," the older man advised._

_John shook his head and stood up, dusting his jeans off before crossing the distance that separated them from the boy. The first thing that registered when the boy's gaze suddenly locked on him was how dark his eyes were. He was crouched down on a very small area of the rock that was shaded, protecting his feet from being burned and he held a half-eaten slice of apple in one hand while clutching a handful of cornbread in the other._

"_Guess you like apples, huh?" he remarked, lifting his right hand to motion towards the fruit. He saw the boy's hands come up defensively and the next thing he was aware of was his father standing over him, laughing. He accepted River Dog's hand and allowed him to pull him to his feet. "Where'd he go?" _

"_He's in his hidin' place; you scared him." He chuckled. "He won't come out again until well after dark."_

"_So, when you told me the little alien had powers you were serious." He glanced down at himself. "Well, it doesn't look there's damage to anything but my pride."_

"_I don't believe he's trying to hurt anyone. It's a defense mechanism and he only does it when he feels threatened."_

_John looked around the miles and miles of lonely desert. "He can't be left here, Dad. It wouldn't be safe for a normal child, but one with his abilities…"_

"_What do you suggest we do with him?"_

_He glanced at his father and immediately knew what the older man was thinking. "You want me and Catherine to take him," he guessed. "No, Dad, I've already got one five-year-old that I have no idea how I'm gonna put through college, Catherine and I just put nearly our entire life's savings down on a ranch that's gonna take thirty years to pay off, Maggie has asthma so bad that we're constantly in and out of the emergency room, and we're struggling to put food on the table and pay the bills as it is. How in the world do you expect me to find the money for another kid?"_

"_I didn't say you should take him," River Dog denied. "I simply asked if you had any suggestions on what to do with him."_

_John sat in the sand for hours after his father had gone back home, resigned to keeping an eye on the boy until River Dog came back. He sighed and stared out into the desert, his mind turning over ideas faster than he could grasp them. Would it be possible for him and Catherine to take in a little boy who was going to need extra attention? A little boy who wasn't going to be normal no matter what they did? The boy probably had abilities that they didn't know about yet; what if his wife or his little girl got hurt? What if they couldn't socialize him and he remained in his current state?_

_He froze when movement caught the corner of his eye and he slowly turned his head to watch the little boy creep around the rock once more. It wasn't until that moment that he realized that the stars were beginning to show themselves and he forced himself to sit still as the boy started to climb back up on the rock. He bit his bottom lip and locked his muscles when one of the dirty little feet missed their foothold and he slid off of the rock and fell back on the sand. He heard the faintest sound and started to stand up when he realized it had come from the boy, but his father's hand on his shoulder stopped him._

"_Dad, he's hurt."_

"_Come with me; he's not familiar with you, John. Not yet."_

_John followed his father as the man crossed the sand and slowly approached the boy. He was speaking to him calmly, the way one would to a nervous or scared animal. The little boy watched them warily but he didn't try to run away, and John was startled by the fear he could see in the dark eyes. _

"_No one's gonna hurt you, little guy," he murmured quietly. He couldn't tell if his tone had reassured the boy or if it was River Dog's presence that kept the boy from reacting to his voice, but John suspected it was probably the latter. "Is he hurt badly?" he asked, his tone soft as he glanced over his father's shoulder to see how badly the boy was hurt._

"_No, I think it scared him more than hurt him."_

_John glanced down when his pager started to beep but before he could reach for it, he landed on his back in the sand again. "Gonna have to remember to not move so quickly around him." He rubbed the back of his head and snatched the beeper up, barely noticing that the boy had taken off again. "Dad, it's Maggie; I've gotta go." _

_River Dog nodded and jogged back to the truck with his son, knowing that John had left Maggie with his older sister, and she wouldn't be paging unless the little girl was having a bad time with her asthma._

"_Take care of the little guy, Dad," John called over his shoulder as he unlocked the truck door. "I'll be back tomorrow afternoon, but I need to check on Maggie." He paused for the briefest of seconds before sliding in behind the wheel and gunning the engine._

_He had broken speed limits left and right in his haste to get to his sister's home, leaving the truck running in the driveway when he jumped out and ran up to the front door. Skye had met him at the door, assuring him that Maggie was doing much better than she had been earlier._

_Maggie had been cuddled in her uncle's lap and the man had been doing his best to keep her mind occupied with some story or other so she wasn't thinking of the mask she was breathing through. John had carefully taken her from his brother-in-law, cradling her against his body as he sat down in the chair and spoke to her in reassuring tones. He kissed her dark head and rocked her gently, his heart breaking in two when she looked up at him with frightened eyes. She had been diagnosed with asthma not long after her third birthday and he prayed everyday that the doctor's belief that she would grow out of it in time was right. _

_He held her long after her labored breathing had settled and the equipment that helped her breathe when the worst attacks happened had been put away. As she slept peacefully and uninterrupted, his thoughts had wandered back to the little boy in the desert and he had to swallow the lump in his throat when he was reminded that the boy had no one to hold him when he was hurt, or when he was frightened, or when he just needed a hug. _

_He knew in that moment that he and Catherine would make it work. He would work with his father to earn the boy's trust, to try and socialize him a little before he took him home, but in the meantime, he had to find a way to explain the boy and his situation to his wife. He knew that Catherine would take one look at the little guy and insist that they needed to bring him to live with them, so he needed to start looking at some financial options. In addition to having another mouth to feed, they had another college fund to start working on._

John smiled at the memory and glanced up at the stars before pushing away from the truck and walking inside. _They had made it work_, he thought. It hadn't been easy but it had been worth it. They had two good, healthy kids who were college-bound, he and Catherine were halfway through paying the ranch off, they would barely be past forty when both kids were starting college, and they were still making it work.

He stepped inside the house and closed the door, leaning back against it as he let the sounds of home and family wash over him. _At the end of the day, this was what it was all about._ After a few minutes, he heard his wife calling the kids for dinner and a moment later she stepped out of the kitchen and smiled at him, motioning for him to hurry up. He rolled his eyes at her affectionately and followed her back into the kitchen, kissing her before going over the sink so he could wash his hands for dinner.

"You talked to Michael?" she asked as she set the serving dishes on the table.

"I talked to him," he confirmed. "He's gonna be fine, Cath." He smirked when she muttered something under her breath and nudged him as she leaned against the sink beside him.

"You're sure he understood – "

"Honey, we raised him right; he'll do the right thing."

"I still wanna talk to her, John," she whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder.

He nodded and turned his head to press a kiss to her temple. "You're off Wednesday and Thursday this week; invite her over for dinner. You pick the night and I'll make sure I get off early enough to make it home in plenty of time for dinner."

"Do you think Michael's gonna have a fit over this?"

"No, I think he'll be okay, but maybe you could ask him to call and extend the invitation. He may not be as receptive if you bulldoze your way in and insist on callin' her yourself like I know you wanna do."

Catherine rolled her eyes and slapped an oven mitt against his chest. "Make yourself useful and take the rolls out of the oven. I'll talk to him about it… maybe after dinner."

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Michael slammed the front door behind him and walked into the kitchen, dropping his backpack on a chair and heading straight for the refrigerator. He frowned at the note on the freezer, strategically placed at eye level, warning him not to snack on anything unless he wanted fruit. _Mothers could be completely unreasonable at times, _he mused, dropping his hand from the door and grabbing an apple from the bowl in the center of the table.

He grabbed a knife from one of the drawers and was just sitting down at the kitchen table when the doorbell rang. He went to answer the door, wordlessly letting Eddie inside before going back to his snack. "What's up?" he asked, slouching down in the chair and staring at the apple, his expression morose. _Who wanted an apple when there was a perfectly good box of Twinkies hidden in the back of the cupboard?_

Eddie pulled out the chair across from Michael and sat down, watching his friend as he concentrated on what he was doing with a focus that was completely unnecessary. "You know I've already talked to River Dog so I know your girlfriend quite possibly knows the truth by now." He stuck one booted foot out and kicked Michael's chair. "Does she?"

Michael shrugged. "No reason for her not to."

Eddie tipped his head to one side as he studied the younger man, amused by the mutinous tone in his voice. "I didn't say she shouldn't know." He shook his head and pulled a candy bar out of his jacket pocket, tossing it across the table.

"Yeah, well, you're the only one," Michael muttered, unwrapping the candy bar and taking a bite out of it.

Eddie raised his eyebrows at Michael's dark tone. "River Dog told you not to tell her? Sounds odd for the old man to tell you somethin' like that; he's usually pretty adamant that you decide what's right for you – "

"No, Eddie," Michael interrupted, irritated by the man's calm demeanor, "he told me to do whatever I felt was right."

"Did you?"

"Yes, I did, and now I'm catchin' hell for it." He picked up the apple and sliced it into eight pieces before picking the first one up. He knew his mother's health radar would go off if he didn't eat a piece of fruit and the last thing he wanted right now was another lecture.

"Parents didn't approve, huh?"

"No, things are just great with my parents. Mom insisted she wanted to invite Maria over for dinner on Thursday night and if that wasn't bad enough, she also insisted that Dad talk to me about sex." Laughter from across the table drew his sharp gaze and he shook his head in disgust.

"So, John explained things to you? You feel like you're pretty well informed now?" Eddie's dark eyes twinkled mirthfully as he watched his friend. "You think you're gonna need any additional information about sex? Like, I don't know… condoms? Positions? How to – "

Michael groaned. _Why did everybody think that because he was an alien, he was good for nothing when it came to sex?_ "No, Eddie, I don't need help with any of that. If I'm too dumb to understand how to use a condom, I might as well quit now. I think I can figure the rest of it out myself." He scowled and ate another slice of his apple. "I really enjoyed havin' this talk with my dad," he muttered darkly, "so I don't see any need to have it again."

"All right, fine." Eddie got up to get a glass of water before sitting down again and reaching for an orange. "So, if it's not your parents who've got you in an uproar, it's gotta be Maggie."

"She's pissed off that Maria knows about me now." He shook his head and got up to get a glass of juice. "I don't know what her problem is, Eddie; there's no reason for her to worry about Maria."

"Maybe not, but she doesn't know your girlfriend the way that you do."

"She doesn't need to," he growled around a mouthful of apple. "I told her she doesn't need to worry about anything. Everything's under control."

Eddie considered the younger man for several minutes before he decided that they weren't going to get anywhere with the subject of his sister. "Well, tell me about your girlfriend then. Things pretty serious?" 

"Maybe." Michael stared at the apple core as he contemplated what he wanted to say. "What kinda stuff is she gonna expect?" he asked finally.

"Normal girlfriend stuff, I'm sure." He grinned when Michael made a '_hurry up'_ gesture with his right hand. "Well, things like don't forget her birthday – they look at you like you ran over their puppy if you do. Never, and I mean _never_, look at another woman when you're with her – they do not appreciate our admiration of the opposite sex and they think if we look at another woman, we automatically want that woman. Don't expect to watch any sports event if she's with you – women also don't understand or appreciate our love of sports; paying attention to the game while she's in the same vicinity as you means that you no longer find her interesting."

Eddie decided to change the subject when he saw the trapped look on Michael's face. "It's not really as bad as it sounds," he chuckled. "Probably one of the most important things is finding a common interest; it's hard to stay together if you have nothing in common. Being attracted to each other is important, but a relationship is so much more than just attraction."

Michael's brow furrowed as he considered what Eddie was saying. He and Maria definitely had the attraction; they had gone out a couple of times, they had shared a couple of pretty hot kisses, and they had talked for hours, but what did they have in common? At this point, she knew a whole lot more about him than he knew about her. He wasn't worried about that because he trusted her, but he made a mental note to rectify that as soon as possible.

"What's it like? Bein' in a relationship, I mean."

"What's it like? It's hard to explain. If it's right it's great; when you're with someone who understands you, who really gets you, and still wants to be with you… there's nothin' better than that. Of course, you've gotta make the effort to understand her too." He shook his head. "Women can be difficult to understand because they're rarely rational; you think your mom and sister are confusing? You haven't even begun to see confusing yet."

"But, it's worth it?"

"It's worth it," Eddie confirmed.

"Have you ever regretted a relationship?"

"Sure, a couple of times." He shrugged. "The good one's are always worth it though."

Michael raised a skeptical eyebrow. "If they're so good, how come they ended?"

"Just because a relationship is good doesn't mean it's the one that's gonna change your life. I've had a few good relationships, but not good enough to make me hand in my bachelor card. And none that were good enough for the woman at the time to try to change my mind. Don't worry, Michael, you'll know if it's right." He tipped his head to one side, surprised that his young friend hadn't been scared off yet. "Any other questions or concerns?"

Michael shrugged and drummed his fingers on the tabletop. "I guess I'm concerned about what's gonna happen when we have sex." He glanced down at himself. "I mean, I look human, but what if we have sex and somethin' happens to her? What if our DNA isn't compatible and she gets sick, or worse?"

Eddie took a deep breath. As a friend, he had to admit that the thought had crossed his mind in the past, concerned about the effect it would have on Michael if sex with a human girl was out of the question because it wasn't safe, for Michael or for the girls. He could see the need for reassurance in the younger man's eyes, reassurance that there were no risks beyond the normal, everyday risks humans faced. "Okay, it's true that we don't know anything about your DNA makeup, and the truth is we may never know. She knows about your differences and she obviously still wants to be with you. You said you've kissed her, right? And nothing happened to her. No, you don't know what'll happen to her, or to you, if you have sex, so my advice would be to make sure you discuss it before it happens and make sure you take the necessary precautions. Don't rush into a physical relationship, Michael; there's nothing wrong with taking your time and making sure it's right. Most people could benefit from that advice, but unfortunately too many people rush into it and they aren't always ready for the changes that it makes to their relationship. So, don't rush it, okay?"

Michael felt a bit better but there were still other issues to talk about, other concerns. "Do you think it'll be different since I'm not human?"

Eddie frowned, wondering what Michael meant with that question. "Different how? You think if you have sex, you'll mate for life like wolves do or somethin'?"

Michael's head shot up and his gaze locked on Eddie. "You think that's possible?"

"Hell, I don't know, but if she's the one, that wouldn't be such a bad thing. Chances are sex will probably be normal as far as the physical act itself. Like you said, you look human, and your development – with the exception of your abilities – has all followed a normal human developmental pattern. My advice would be to just take the standard precautions when the time comes and make sure the two of you discuss it and that she understands the possible risks."

"_I_ don't even know what the risks are." He sighed and ran one hand through his hair. "She's gonna think I'm a freak," he muttered.

"If she doesn't think you're a freak already, I don't think you have anything to worry about." He paused. "You're aware that women view having sex completely differently than men do, right? Because women – "

Michael held a hand up. "Already had this talk with my dad, Eddie." He glanced at the window and scowled when he heard loud music followed by a car door slamming a moment later.

Eddie grinned and stood up. "Sounds like Maggie's home. I think I'll get outta here and let you handle her on your own."

Michael nodded and stared at his hands, listening to the low tones of conversation between Eddie and Maggie as they crossed paths at the front door. He glanced up when she paused in the kitchen doorway, feeling the weight of her disapproving gaze focus on him. "Guess you're still not talkin' to me?" he shouted when she turned and walked away without a word. He sighed loudly and leaned forward to grab his backpack, unzipping it and pulling his homework out.

"Y'know, this is not about me," Maggie said, appearing in the doorway once more. "It's about you risking everything for some girl who may or may not be able to keep the secret. It's about you spending every free minute with her when you don't know whether or not she can be trusted. It's about you being completely irrational and thinking with something besides the head on your shoulders."

Michael could feel his back teeth grinding at her words. "Basketball practice not go well?" he asked, refusing to look up from his open textbook. She was baiting him, trying to start an argument and he wanted no part of it. He was tired of the contention between them but he was fairly certain it wasn't his fault and he had no intention of apologizing for it.

"This isn't funny, Michael," Maggie screamed, frustrated with Michael for not falling into her trap and avoiding the fight she so wanted to take place. This whole situation was disturbing her, her life, her peace of mind, and she needed to take it out on someone.

He looked up at that. "No, it's not, but I'm not gonna argue with you about a decision that I made."

Maggie jumped on his last words, happy to have a crucial element that Michael didn't seem to grasp out in the open. "Exactly! A decision that _you_ made, Michael; you didn't even take into consideration the fact that it could potentially affect your whole family!" She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, annoyed when he didn't respond. "The least you could've done was talk to Mom and Dad before you decided to spill your guts."

"I talked about it with River Dog, or did you forget that? I got all the advice that I needed from him," he snapped. "I'm tired of repeatin' myself here, Maggie." He glanced over his notes from class before flipping back several pages in the textbook. "Mom an' Dad are fine with Maria knowin' about me. As a matter of fact, I'm supposed to invite her to dinner on Thursday night." He slammed the textbook closed and stood up, gathering his things so he could go study in his bedroom. "Do you think you could try _not_ insulting Maria when she gets here?"

He stalked out of the room without waiting for an answer, unwilling to continue arguing with her.

Maggie watched him leave the room and just barely refrained from chucking an orange at his thick head. _Michael was not this dense_, she thought, irritated that he had managed to walk away without listening to her list of reasons why this was a mistake of catastrophic proportions. _Okay,_ she admitted silently, _maybe that was a little more dramatic than the situation called for, but the least he could've done was listen to her._

"_Do you think you could try not insulting Maria when she gets here?"_ she parroted under her breath as she looked for an apple. "No problem, Michael… no problem at all." She grabbed the last apple and walked down the hall to her bedroom, determined to focus on her homework and not think about the current situation that Michael had instigated.


	18. Chapter 18

**Part 18**

Driving home after school on Tuesday, left hand tapping out a rhythm on the steering wheel in time to the song on the stereo, Michael was surprised to see Maria's car parked in front of the Tribal Office. She had said she was working at her job the first part of the week and wouldn't be able to get out to see him until Wednesday. He pulled up beside her car and got out, wondering if she'd had to come out to pick something up for her mother.

"Michael!"

He turned around and came face-to-face with Maria's mother, and he took several quick steps backwards when she advanced on him, hoping to avoid another embarrassing public hug from the woman. He was relieved when she stopped to open the driver's side door of her car. He glanced at the Tribal Office and then back at her when he realized she was empty-handed. "You need help with somethin'?"

"Oh, no, I was um, I just had to drop some papers off with Red Eagle," she explained, giggling as she pushed her hair back behind her left ear. "Releases and stuff for the show coming up in Albuquerque next month."

Michael nodded. "Yeah, heard about that; Sara Runs With Wolves said you think it's gonna get her some recognition?"

"Um-hmm, it'll be a great opportunity to get her art recognized by people who can actually make a difference for her financially. If I can get the buyer that I want to come out and see her jewelry, there's a very good chance that she won't have to worry about where a majority of her college tuition's coming from."

"Really?" Michael was impressed in spite of himself. "That's cool. With Native American scholarship funding bein' cut back last year, it's been difficult for a lot of kids to get them. I know Sara was countin' on a scholarship, but it didn't happen, so her family's been pretty worried about how they were gonna pull it off."

Amy nodded. "What about you?"

"Huh?"

"You're a senior, right?"

"Yeah." Michael's voice was anything but enthusiastic; school wasn't his favorite topic to discuss. School was just so boring. But, Amy sounded like a cool mom and she wasn't just anybody's mom, she was Maria's mom. He was determined to make an effort to answer her questions.

"You must have started looking into scholarships by now."

The college talk. _Damn_. Parents seemed to judge people based on some weird criteria and being a college graduate was one of the top five on the list. "Oh. Well, I haven't got any scholarships lined up yet, but my parents have a college fund set up for me an' my sister. Maggie's actually got a better shot at a scholarship than I do; she plays basketball an' she's pretty good." He shrugged. "I'll probably work my way through college when I get there."

Amy easily picked up on the clue in Michael's last sentence. He didn't seem to be in a hurry to go to college. "_When_ you get there?"

"I've been in school since I was six years old; I'd kinda like to take a year off and do somethin' else, y'know? Not sure what yet, but somethin'."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that."

Michael straightened up and studied her expression, trying to determine if she was being serious or not. "Really?"

"No, of course not. I didn't go to college, Michael. I made my way in the world without the benefit of a college education. I did it all by myself." She shook her head. "If Maria wants to go to college, that's fine, and if she doesn't want to, I won't hold it against her. I trust my daughter to find her own path." She closed the door and moved to lean against the hood of the car so that she was facing him. "You haven't told your parents that you wanna take a year off, have you?" She smiled when he shook his head and glanced across the street. "Your parents seemed like the kinda people who would be willing to listen and give you the chance to make your case."

Michael took a good look at Amy. He was scarily close to respecting an adult he barely knew and that adult was Amy DeLuca, the unique mother of the very unique Maria DeLuca. Mother and daughter were one hell of a pair; the DeLuca girls were certainly original. "Yeah, they're pretty good about that. I don't know though… it's college, y'know? Parents get weird about that kinda stuff."

Amy smiled. "I know, I'm one of them, remember?"

"Right." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "So, Maria's workin' today?"

"Um-hmm, but if I understood correctly, she's coming out here tomorrow after school."

Michael cleared his throat. "Yeah, she might've said somethin' about that."

Amy laughed and straightened up. "I need to get home before Maria gets off from work." She walked around the car and opened the door, leaning on it momentarily to watch him. "Do you do any kind of art, Michael?"

He shrugged again. "Not really." He shifted uncomfortably when her gaze became scrutinizing. "What?" Just like Maria, Amy was too intuitive for Michael's comfort.

She chuckled as she settled in the car and closed the door. "I'll bet you do," she said, her tone teasing. "I'll tell Maria you said hi." She started the car and waved before pulling away.

Michael shook his head and got back in the truck before heading home. His dad had asked him to feed the livestock as soon as he got home for the next couple of days so he could go in to work early, and make up a few hours since he had promised be home in time for dinner on Thursday night. He drove back home, his mind going back to the discussion about college with Amy. He knew that his parents wouldn't be pleased if they knew that he had been thinking about not going to college right after high school. That he wanted to just take a break, to live life and enjoy it for a while, before being stuck in college for four years. He just needed to think seriously about how he was going to present his intentions to his parents; he had a feeling it wasn't going to be a nice moment for him. A small smile graced his face. If Maria didn't want to go to college, Amy wouldn't force her daughter to go by using threats and the guilt trip that parents were so fond of. Amy would probably celebrate her daughter's achievement of reaching the end of high school with some kind of hippie ceremony.

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On Wednesday afternoon, Maria parked in the driveway beside the truck and got out, straightening her skirt as she stood and shut the door. She smoothed her shirt down and walked up to the front door, her finger just about to connect with the doorbell when the door was pulled open. She smiled at Maggie and was surprised when the other girl didn't return the gesture.

"Is Michael home?" she asked, unsure of Maggie's unwelcoming expression but refusing to back down.

"He's out right now," Maggie muttered. "He'll be back in a while." She stood back and held the door open. "I guess you can come in and wait for him."

"Have I done something to offend you, Maggie?" she asked once they were inside. "I don't recall doing anything – "

Maggie didn't even let her finish her sentence, she just launched into an angry speech. "Do you have any idea what kind of risk he took by telling you about himself? You have no idea what could happen to him if the wrong people find out about him."

Maria frowned and straightened her back, irritated with the girl's suggestions that she could be a risk to Michael. "Surely you don't think I have any intention of telling anyone about Michael? I would never take that risk; I don't want to see him get hurt either."

"It's not necessary for you to explain anything to 'er, Maria."

The two girls turned to look at Michael when he spoke. Maggie was the first to speak when she noticed that he had wrapped his right hand around his upper left arm and there was a thin line of blood running along his forearm.

"What happened to your arm?" she asked, rushing to his side and trying to pry his hand away from his arm so she could see how badly he was hurt. She couldn't help the hurt that welled up inside of her when he jerked away from her and refused to allow her to check on him. "Michael, what happened?"

"Nothin'," he snapped. "Go find someone else to irritate." He glanced at Maria. "Let me take care of this and I'll be back in a minute."

Maria looked at Maggie after he had left the room. "Why don't I go talk to him?" It was easy to see that the girl was distressed over her brother's dismissal of her concern.

Following Maggie's instructions, she made her way along the hall and paused at the open doorway to his bedroom, leaning forward and peering inside before crossing the threshold. _It wasn't all that different from Alex's room_, she mused as she glanced around. He didn't have a lot of music-related stuff like Alex, but it was decorated much the same way. Posters of several rock bands decorated one of the walls, while another had an interesting array of Native American art.

"Michael?"

Michael stepped out of the bathroom, his eyebrows raised in surprise at her presence in his bedroom. "Uh, what?"

"Are you all right?" Maria asked, turning to face him and unprepared for the sight of him leaning against the doorframe, bare-chested.

"Yeah, it's just a scratch." He made a waving motion at her, his throat suddenly dry. "I like the uh, the outfit…" His gaze slid over her bare legs and he shook his head. "You look uh, yeah, really good."

Maria smiled at his less than coherent compliment and she watched him fidget as her own gaze moved over him appreciatively. "You too. But don't walk around like that in public because I won't be held responsible for my actions."

Michael grinned and shook his head, immediately put at ease by her teasing. "You need somethin'?"

"I think I'm just gonna leave that one alone," she said with a smirk. "You're sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I just got caught on a nail, it's nothin' serious." He turned to the side so she could see the small scratch. "See? It's nothin' to worry about."

"Well, okay. I actually did have a reason for coming in here."

"So, it wasn't just for the opportunity to see me half-naked?" he asked, crowding her against the doorframe.

Maria looked at the bare flesh in question and he was so close that she couldn't resist reaching out to run the fingertips of her right hand down the center of his chest. "No, I honestly didn't expect to catch you shirtless." She felt his disappointment at her admission and she bit back a smile. "That was just a bonus." She lost control of the smile when his chest puffed up with pride. "But it isn't why I came in here. How long have you and Maggie been fighting?"

His good mood evaporated as soon as his sister was mentioned. "Ask her," he snarled. "I'm not the one with the problem."

Maria winced. Obviously, Michael wasn't happy with his sister and it looked like things between them were going from bad to worse. She tried to explain what she thought was going through Maggie's mind. "Michael, she's obviously got some concerns about – "

"Don't care." He crossed the room and snatched a tee shirt out of the closet, jerking it on over his head and pulling it down over his chest and stomach. "I tried to explain things to her and she wouldn't listen."

"Hey." She crossed to him and reached up to take his chin in her hand. "Hey, look at me." She waited to speak until his stubborn gaze lifted to meet hers. "She's afraid for you, Michael; let me talk to her, okay?"

He snorted. "Knock yourself out."

She smiled brilliantly and leaned against him as her fingers left his chin to trace over his lips. "You gonna kiss me first?"

His low growl was her only warning before his hands came up to frame her face, and he lowered his lips to hers. His kiss was hot, demanding, and lasted until they were forced to pull apart for air. His eyes traced over her features for several minutes before he kissed her again, this time with a gentleness that belied the sheer power she could feel rolling through him like an electrical current.

Weak-kneed and sporting what was probably a ridiculous grin, Maria made her way back to the living room, hoping to catch Maggie for a serious conversation. That thought made her bring her expression under control and she paused for a moment before entering the living room to make sure she was presentable. The last thing she wanted to do was rub the girl's face in the fact that she and Michael were a couple. She had a feeling it was that as much as her knowledge of his secret that had Maggie so concerned.

Maria located Maggie sitting on the front porch, her gaze focused on the open book in her left hand. After almost five minutes of watching the other girl stare at the book, she started to lose patience. She cleared her throat and sat down beside her in the swing.

"Can't you see I'm busy?" Maggie snapped without looking at her.

"That would be a lot more believable if your eyes were moving or if you'd turned a page in the last few minutes," Maria retorted, trying to control her voice. She had to remain calm if she was going to talk to Maggie rationally and present a reasonable argument. "Look, you've obviously got a big problem with me knowing the secret, and if it makes you feel any better, he didn't tell me, Maggie, I guessed."

"Uh-huh. You just happened to _guess_ that he's an alien. Yeah, okay." Sarcasm dripped from the words and she finally looked at Maria. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that."

"Why not?"

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Why would you just assume he's a completely different species?"

Maria burst into a sarcastic laugh. "Hello? I grew up in Roswell; it's not exactly a foreign concept that aliens exist. I admit, despite all of the alien-themed shows on television, I had never really given much thought to the possibility that they might actually look like your brother." Maria nodded to herself. "I guess you probably don't watch a lot of shows or movies about aliens."

Maggie made a face. "You wouldn't think so, would you? Michael's like a big sponge when it comes to that stuff though. He's got dozens of notebooks filled with information that he was sure would give him answers and all it's done is lead to disappointment." She turned her attention back to the book she still held. "But, I guess you'll become pretty familiar with that now that you're together."

_Aaaaah, here it was; the real reason behind Maggie's anger._ Maria decided that it was time to resolve the situation. "Which brings us to what I think is the real problem you're having with me knowing about Michael. At first you were probably worried about me blabbing his secret, but I think you know your brother well enough to know that if he hadn't wanted me to know he would've found a way to explain what happened. Have you considered the possibility that maybe he wanted me to know?"

"Why? He's never told anyone so why would he suddenly decide to tell you?"

Maria was certain the girl was being deliberately obtuse. "How many serious relationships has he been in, Maggie?"

She shrugged. "None, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Fine," Maggie snapped, glaring at her. "He's never been in a serious relationship. Are you happy now?" She stood and started pacing.

_Oh, yeah, she was jumping for joy, right now!_ Maria silenced the sarcastic internal voice before she made the mistake of repeating that out loud. "I'm happy that I've got him, but I'm not happy that it's caused this huge crack in your relationship with him."

"What do you know about it?"

"I know what it feels like when someone you're close to is suddenly busy with someone else and you feel like they're gonna forget that you exist." She shoved the thoughts of Liz and Alex away when they pushed their way to the surface and focused on the story she wanted to tell Maggie, to try and make her understand that she had gone through a similar experience. "My mom didn't date for a few years after my dad left because she was trying to get her business established and be both parents for me, so when she started dating, I felt like I suddenly wasn't important anymore."

Maggie turned to lean against the railing and crossed her arms over her chest as she listened to the other girl talk, weighing the words against her own thoughts.

Maria shifted her position and rested her arm on the back of the swing, lost in her past, in the little girl that she had been, angry and afraid. "I probably chased off at least a couple of guys that were actually pretty decent because I was jealous of their relationship with my mom. She was all I had and I was scared they were gonna take her away from me, and she'd been hurt before by my dad and others, and I didn't want that to happen again. There's no way to know if one of them could've been the guy that might've made her happy again, and I felt really bad when my mom and I talked and I realized that I wasn't any less important to her and she didn't love me any less."

_Was she treating Michael the same way?_ Maggie wondered. _Was she just jealous of losing her brother now that he had found someone?_ She reviewed her past behavior, the feelings she had been trying to control, taking mental notes about the past few days and coming to the obvious conclusion.She groaned._ Yes, she was treating him the same way_. Her brother had found someone who made him happy and she had done her best to make him feel guilty for it.

"I know how it feels, Maggie, and I know it won't make a difference what I say here because the only thing that's gonna change your mind about me is time. You're not gonna believe it's true until you see for yourself that I'm not a threat to your relationship with Michael, that I'm not a threat to him, and I honestly do care for him." She smiled slightly and glanced at the other girl. "Your brother's very special, Maggie, and I promise you I'm not gonna do anything to hurt him. Do you know how important you are to him?"

Maggie swallowed hard as she nodded. "Yeah, we've always been really close."

Maria smiled. She knew she had broken through Maggie's fears. "Then you know how hard the last few days have been for him."

She risked a glance at her brother's girlfriend, easily detecting the disapproval beneath her sympathetic tone. It wasn't overt but she could tell that Maria wasn't happy that Michael had spent the past few days on the wrong side of his sister's temper because Maggie had a problem with her.

She sighed. She knew what was waiting for her, how her brother was going to act when she finally tried to talk to him. "He's not gonna wanna hear anything I have to say right now."

"You two don't fight very often do you?"

"Not like this," Maggie admitted.

"I can talk to him if you'd like, try to get him to understand why you reacted the way you did." Maria made the offer and fell silent, letting Maggie decide if she wanted to accept it or not without pressure.


	19. Chapter 19

**Part 19**

Michael was slouched down in one corner of the couch, his unseeing gaze locked on the action playing on the television screen. He had considered posting himself near the open front door so he could eavesdrop on the girls' conversation, but he had quickly changed his mind after he decided that he wasn't really interested. He had flipped through every available television station several times before dropping the remote on the cushion beside him and losing himself in thought.

He blinked in surprise when the television screen went dark and the cushion beside him dipped as Maria sat down. She leaned forward to place the remote on the coffee table then settled back beside him, her right arm stretched along the back of the couch behind his shoulders.

"You talk to 'er?"

"Um-hmm." She studied his features for several minutes and he remained silent under her scrutiny. "You wanna go for a ride?"

"Everything okay?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yeah."

He nodded and stood, holding a hand out to her. "Your car or mine?"

Half an hour later, Michael parked the truck at an overlook several miles from the reservation and stepped out just as Maria pulled up behind him in her own car. "You gonna tell me why we came out here with both cars?"

Maria motioned for him to drop the tailgate on the truck so they could sit down and she spoke as soon as they were seated. "I wanted to talk to you and I think Maggie probably needs some time alone to think about things, so I thought I could just leave from here." She was silent for a minute, watching a bird as it circled overhead. "She's not used to sharing you, y'know? Maggie," she clarified when he just stared at her uncomprehendingly.

"Oh." He frowned. "What?"

"She's not used to you spending so much time with a girl, Michael. She doesn't know me very well, so it only makes sense that she's concerned about me knowing the secret." She shook her head. "But, it's your involvement with me and the potential threat to your relationship with her that's had her so upset."

Michael looked at her, puzzled by what she was saying. _Potential threat? Sharing?_ What was it that caused girls to over-complicate everything? "What?"

Maria wasn't surprised that Michael didn't understand; teenage guys just weren't in tune with the way girls' minds worked. _Well, except for Alex._ She hurried to push thoughts of him out of her mind. Right now wasn't the time to think about her problems. "She's scared of becoming less important to you, and at the same time she's also scared that you're gonna get hurt or that I'm not gonna be able to keep your secret. I've been in her position, so I know her concerns are valid; I went through the same thing when my mom started dating. For a long time it was just the two of us, so when someone else entered the picture, I was scared she was gonna be so focused on her new relationship that I was gonna be ignored."

Michael looked closely at her, trying to read her. "Were you?"

Maria laughed as she thought about how stupid some of her imaginings had been back then. But she had been a little girl and she hadn't known any better at the time. "No, but that's not really my point. She just needs time to see that even though you and I are involved, her place in your life is secure and no one's gonna take it from her."

"That's ridiculous," he scoffed, leaning back on his outstretched arms as he scanned the desert.

"Why, because it's never happened to you? I can assure you that it happens, Michael, and sometimes it's the people you'd least expect it from. People you've known and trusted your entire life." She shook her head and wiped away a renegade tear before she looked at him. "Don't discount her fears so easily, Michael, that's all I'm saying."

He shifted around to face her, pulling his long legs up and crossing them Indian-style in front of him. _Someone had hurt her badly, _he realized, shocked when that knowledge caused a fierce wave of protectiveness to surge through him.

"My dad, okay?" Maria shrugged and turned her head when his gaze became too intense. "You'd think it would end there, wouldn't you? Well, it did… until recently."

Michael winced when she tried to hide the hurt in her voice. He remembered that she had told him – unintentionally, he was sure – that her dad had walked out on her and her mom when she was six or seven, but at the time there had been no details given. Even with the passage of time, her father's abandonment was obviously still felt very deeply and he did something he rarely ever did. He reached out to her, his right hand cradling her left cheek and turning her head so he could look into her sad eyes. "Tell me," he urged quietly.

"About my dad?"

"Yeah."

A slight smile graced her features for a moment. "He was an artist, a painter, and his paintings were just so amazing. I remember when I was little, he'd carry me around on his shoulders and we'd go for long walks around town, and when I got bigger, we'd go to this huge art museum in Santa Fe and we'd spend hours walking around while he explained what the artist wanted people to see in their work. Even though I wasn't that old, I could tell he wanted to be so much more. I remember my parents arguing because he wanted to move away from Roswell and she didn't." She reached up to take his hand, holding it in both of hers as she studied his knuckles. "My parents weren't exactly what you'd call normal."

"Never would've guessed that," he said, grinning when she thumped her fist against the knee closest to her.

"They met at an environmental protest at an oil company; my mom said she knew she was in love with him the second he tackled a cop to keep her from getting arrested." She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "They got arrested dozens of times for protesting, at sit-ins, during marches… they were really big activists. If there was a cause, my parents were there."

"So, what happened?"

"They tried to settle down and be normal after I was born." She shook her head sadly. "After a while they started getting involved in their causes again, but it wasn't the same. It might've been okay if things hadn't been so tense at home, y'know? But, he wanted to do more with his painting and Mom wanted more involvement in their causes. He wanted to move away to pursue his art, he wanted to travel, and she wanted to stay in Roswell so she could stay involved in her groups' activities… I think maybe it was just too much for them."

"So, they split up?"

"Yeah. My dad said he was gonna come back for me." Her gaze dropped down to his hand again. "He promised when he got his own place, he'd come back and get me for the holidays."

Michael unfolded his left leg and stretched it out behind her before tugging her closer and wrapping his arms around her. "He didn't come back," he guessed.

"No calls, no birthday cards, and no visits," she said, picking at a button on his shirt.

Michael swore silently. _What kind of father, who claimed to love his daughter, just abandoned her so completely? How could parents do something like that to their own children?_ He shook his head at his own thoughts. _His biological parents hadn't been in any hurry to come back for him._ "Have you tried lookin' for him?"

"I wouldn't even know where to start. I'd like to find him though, maybe get some answers. It seems only fair that I get an opportunity to ask him why he… he…" She choked back a sob and swallowed the tears clogging her throat as she slid her arms around his waist.

"I know what you're thinkin'," Michael murmured when she tucked her head under his chin, "and you're not forgettable, Maria."

"Do you think he had a good reason for leaving and never contacting me?" Maria asked, hoping against hope that Michael could provide her with an answer that wouldn't break her heart any more than it had already been broken by her father. Maybe he could come up with a reason that she had overlooked, some reason that hadn't occurred to her.

Michael paused, holding his initial response back. He didn't want to hurt her with her opinion, so he needed to stop and weigh his words for once. "I'm a realist, Maria, so I'm inclined to say no, but I hope for your sake he did have a good reason. Whoever my family is or was, they dumped me off in the middle of the desert and never bothered to contact me after that."

Maria leaned back to look at him. "You want to find them though," she observed.

"I have a right to know why I was abandoned." He shrugged. "Why no one bothered to come back for me."

"Hey, you're not forgettable either."

Michael nudged her when she fell into a contemplative silence that lasted several minutes. "What're you thinkin' about?" he asked, honestly wanting to know.

"Have you ever noticed how quickly things can change?"

"Like what?" He had a feeling this was important to her so he didn't push for an answer when she became quiet again.

"Well, I've got these two friends, my best friends actually, but back in September they started hanging out with Max and Isabel Evans, and now they're just… I don't know, different. They lie right to my face like they think I don't know them well enough to know when they're lying, they're always going off somewhere together, and they're keeping secrets." She shrugged. "We've been best friends our whole lives and it's like we don't even know each other anymore."

"You an' your friends, you're popular at school?"

"Um, no, not really. I mean, we're not the rejects or the social outcasts or anything, but we're not the popular ones either. Liz and Alex are both brains; y'know, they're the smart ones so that kinda excludes them from the popular club. Max, well, he's not exactly in the popular crowd either because he's really smart too, but his sister is like the leader of the popular crowd." She shook her head in confusion. "There's no reason why she would lower herself to our social level, but suddenly every time I see Alex, I see Isabel and if I see Liz then Max is somewhere close by."

Michael frowned. From what he knew of high school and its social circles, thanks to Maggie's constant gossiping with her friends, he knew that the popular queen who ruled the school would never hang out with the brains. That was weird. "So, just outta nowhere, your friends hooked up with these other two?"

"Yeah." She turned so she could look at him more fully. "I'm telling you, Michael, it doesn't make any sense. We've gone to school together for years but we've never really talked to them so why now? And why would Isabel be going out with Alex? Don't get me wrong or anything, Alex is great, but they're not exactly the obvious couple. I guess I can see Liz with Max… although they're so alike I can't imagine what they find to talk about."

"Maybe they're not talkin'," Michael suggested with a smirk.

"What? You think they're having sex? No," she denied, rolling her eyes as she shook her head. "You don't know Liz, Michael. Trust me, that is _not_ what's going on."

"Uh-huh, you sure about that?"

Maria nodded. _If there was one person that she knew in this universe, it was Liz._ "Believe me, Liz Parker going all the way? Not a chance. She's got like this whole plan laid out for her life, she's completely predictable, and she doesn't really veer off from the plan."

Michael had to play the devil's advocate here, because it looked like Maria didn't want to open her eyes about her best friend that she thought she knew so well. "Completely predictable, but she blew you off after a lifetime of bein' best friends so she could start hangin' out with this guy and his sister? Has their behavior changed at all? You mentioned that they were lyin' to you an' keepin' secrets, but have you noticed any physical changes in them?"

Maria thought about her friends, going over what had happened and wondering if some other changes had taken place and that she hadn't noticed. "I don't know. For a while, every time I saw them they looked like they hadn't slept in days and when I asked them about it, they made up some lame excuse about nightmares."

_Shit, this wasn't good._ He was starting to have an idea about what might be going on and he had a feeling that Maria wasn't going to like it one bit. "Lame excuses, huh? Y'know, I've seen behavior like you're describing right here on the Rez. People getting hooked on drugs or alcohol – "

Maria quickly jumped to her friends' defense. _Liz and Alex doing drugs? Drinking? No way in hell! Michael was wrong!_ "No, my friends aren't involved in anything like that, Michael! I don't know what exactly they are involved in, but it's not drugs or alcohol. I know you don't know them, but that's just not possible."

Michael snorted at her naivety. "So, the lyin', the secrets, the sudden changes in behavior… they're what?"

Maria desperately searched for an answer, refusing to think about how outlandish and wild her ideas were. _Maybe… maybe they had seen something they weren't supposed to see and they were afraid? Or maybe Alex had hacked into the wrong computer by accident and now they were trying to cover their tracks?_ Liz, Alex, and Max were all brains, and Isabel wasn't stupid either, the girl had high grades to go with her popular status. But there had to be some other reason besides the one Michael was suggesting. "Well, I don't know. But, it can't be that," she denied. "Liz and Alex would never get involved with anything having to do with drugs or alcohol. Good grief, they're straight A students!"

"You think getting involved with stuff like that is only for kids with bad grades? C'mon, Maria, you can't seriously be that naïve!" he exclaimed.

She dropped down off of the tailgate and turned to face him with her arms crossed over her chest and a defiant expression on her face. True, Liz and Alex were acting strange, but he didn't know them and there was no reason for him to be talking about them like they were common criminals.

"We may not be as close as we used to be, but I will not believe that they're involved in anything like that." She glared at him. "And I don't appreciate being called naïve."

"I didn't call you naïve," he denied, shifting around and letting his legs hang over the edge of the tailgate. "All I'm sayin' is that it's not all that uncommon for people to get caught up in that stuff and it usually doesn't get noticed until they're pretty deep in it. It's not all that unusual for people you'd never suspect to get drawn into that lifestyle."

Maria gritted her teeth at Michael's convictions; _she couldn't deny that those kind of things happened to teenagers all the time, but not to Liz and Alex._ "And I'm saying you're wrong."

Michael shrugged. "Fine, we're gonna have to agree to disagree on their possible motives for droppin' you as soon as they started hangin' with their new friends because I can't imagine that they've got an acceptable explanation for treatin' you like crap. I don't care what their reasoning is, you don't drop people you care about like that."

Maria's heart started to hurt as she listened to Michael's speech. But she refused to believe his theory. She just refused to let her mind go there. "No. They have to have a good reason."

Michael snapped when she refused to see the possible reality of the situation. "Why?" he asked, his voice harsh.

Maria tried to take a breath without showing how close she was to crying. "Because if you're right and I've been cut off from them because of something like that, it means I'm expendable to my friends just like I was to my dad."

Michael sighed regretfully. _Of course, how had he missed the connection between her father leaving her behind and her friends doing the same thing?_ "Oh, hell, that's not what I meant, Maria." The leaps that her mind was capable of making were downright scary at times. "C'mere."

Maria resisted when she felt the sensation of being pulled, refusing to give in to the force he was exerting. "No, stop it."

He rolled his eyes when she dug her heels in and stubbornly wouldn't move, but he stopped trying to force her to come to him when he caught the warning look in her eyes. "Guess your fascination with the whole secret powers thing has already worn off," he muttered.

Maria's eyebrows lifted in question and she hurried over to him when she realized what he was implying. "No, no, no, Michael, I'm sorry." Her hands slid up over his chest to rest on his shoulders. "All I meant was that we're out here where anyone could drive by and I don't want you to be reckless just because I know what you can do."

"Right, well, I knew that."

"Uh-huh." Her tone let him know that she didn't believe him.

"Look, Maria, you obviously know your friends better than I do, but it's just suspicious that they started hangin' out with their new friends and dropped you at the same time. I'm not sayin' drugs or alcohol are the only reasons for that kinda behavior, I just think it's worth considering."

"Okay, well, I've considered your theory and discarded it." She smiled and shook her head at him. "Like you said, we're gonna have to agree to disagree about their motives."

"Guess so." He briefly wondered when he was going to meet her friends so he could judge their behavior for himself. "Okay, so tell me about your mom," he said, attempting to steer the conversation to a topic that wasn't quite so emotionally charged. He knew she was close to her mother so he could only assume that her mood would lift a little by talking about the woman.

Maria was a little thrown off by Michael's question. "My mom? What do you wanna know about her?"

"I don't know. When I met her she accosted me in front of half the Rez." He shrugged. "I'm hopin' that's not normal behavior for her an' I'm not gonna have to worry about that next time I see her."

Maria couldn't resist teasing him. "So, you're planning to see my mom again, huh?"

Michael smiled at Maria's change of mood. _Mission accomplished._ "I don't know, maybe." He looped his arms loosely around her waist and linked his hands at the small of her back. "Think you could ask her to not do that again?"

_Sure, no problem. And maybe she could get her mom to go to Sunday services at the Catholic church in town while she was at it._"Maybe. My mom's not your average everyday mother. She really isn't the traditional homemaker; even when I was a kid, we were always doing something most people would probably consider out of the ordinary."

"Out of the ordinary, huh?" Michael asked, not surprised in the least.

Maria laughed, remembering all of the crazy activities she had assisted in, thanks to her mother. "We've spent a couple of months at a hippie commune up in Oregon a few times, I've been to at least a dozen different sit-ins and protests, and we spent a month at this camp where everyone lived just like the settlers did in the 1800's… y'know, no electricity, no running water, no television." Maria shuddered as she thought back on that experience; what a nightmare that had been! "Personally, I was really glad when that one was over; I'm quite fond of modern technology."

"Protests? Against what?"

_Pffff, where should she start?_ "You name it, my mom's protested either for or against it. Save the whales, save the dolphins, save the spotted owl, save the planet, save the mission, free political prisoners, and there are a lot more, believe me."

Michael reached up to scratch his eyebrow. He had heard about activists during his history classes, read about them in novels, and seen them in movies; they were fascinating characters. It just felt strange to know one of them. He had an internal laugh. _He'd bet Maria could say the same about aliens; she certainly hadn't expected to meet one!_ "That sounds… interesting. So, you seriously lived without any modern conveniences for an entire month?" He was having a difficult time wrapping his mind around that one. "People really do that?"

"I swear it's true. The place is out in the middle of nowhere up in Kansas, and the people who organize it load everyone up on a bus and drive you out there and they leave you there. We're talking way out in the middle of nowhere and they don't come back for you until the month's up." She grinned at him. "And if I ever get conned into doing that again, it'll be very handy to have you with me."

"I'd advise you to avoid getting stuck in that situation again then, cuz that's really not my thing." A small smile softened the words and he glanced up when a couple of cars passed them. "It's getting close to time for dinner," he said with a glance at the sky.

"I guess you need to get going then; I wouldn't want your mom to have to come looking for you. I know you said she doesn't like it when you're late for dinner."

"No, she doesn't." He dropped down off of the tailgate and stood in front of her without releasing his hold on her. "Oh, that reminds me, I'm supposed to invite you over for dinner tomorrow night."

Maria thanked God that Michael was holding her because if he hadn't she was sure she would have made a fool of herself by tripping over her own feet. Her heart started to beat faster and she asked in a strangled voice. "Dinner with your family?"

His expression turned sheepish when she stared at him, waiting. "What? My mom wants to get to know you." _Oh, boy, Maria looked like she was on the verge of hyperventilating._

"Your mom wants to get to know me and you're worried about my mom hugging you again? You do realize that it's serious if your mom is inviting me to dinner to interrogate me, right?"

"Yeah, I kinda suspected that's what she was up to. It's okay if you'd rather not deal with it." He kicked a rock across the road. "I'm not really sure I wanna deal with it. She's just got it in her head that she needs to get to know you because you're the first girl I've ever invited out to the Rez and – "

Maria latched onto his last sentence and she quickly interrupted him. "Really? You've honestly never asked another girl to come out here?"

"No reason to," he muttered, making a big production of checking his watch. "You're the only girl I've ever asked to come out here, okay? We don't have to make a big deal of it, do we?"

"What time should I be there?" she asked, letting him off the hook.

He shrugged. "Normally it'd be five but she wanted to make sure you had plenty of time to get here after school; she doesn't want you to rush, so she moved dinner back to six."

"Well, that was thoughtful of her." She walked back to her car and he followed, unwilling to let her go just yet.

When they reached her car he snaked her right arm around her waist and pulled her up against his chest as he whirled around and leaned back on the car.

Maria's hands slid up over his chest to settle on his shoulders, letting her weight rest against him as he lowered his head to kiss her. Her shirt rode up when she stretched up to get even closer to him and he took advantage of the gap to slide his hands under her shirt. The feel of his calloused hands on her skin had her pressing tighter against him and her fingers tangled in his unruly hair to keep him where he was when she felt him preparing to withdraw from the kiss.

Michael chuckled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest, before he changed angles and deepened the kiss. She sighed and settled into the kiss, the fingers of her left hand combing through his hair while her right hand slid down to stroke his strong jaw. She didn't try to stop him when he gentled the kiss and slowly eased back, but only because they were both in need of oxygen.

"I hate it when you've gotta go, but I love makin' out with you," he whispered raggedly as he cradled her face in his big hands.

Maria smiled as she brushed her thumb over his lips. "You don't make it easy to leave." She laughed when she saw how insufferably pleased he was with himself. "But, I do have to get home and if you don't get home pretty soon you're gonna be late for dinner."

Michael shifted to the side so he could open the door, leaning on it for support when she brushed up against him as she slid inside. "You're not makin' it easy either, Maria _Myrtle _DeLuca." He grinned and shut the door before she could get out and come after him.

"Myrtle?" Maria snorted and shook her head as she started the car. "Try again, Magnum."

"I will." He crouched down, bracing his forearms on the open window and leaned in to kiss her one more time. "Call me when you get home." He straightened up and thumped his fist against the roof of the car as she pulled away from the overlook, crossing his arms over his chest and watching until her taillights disappeared in the distance.

He glanced at his watch and cursed as he ran over to the truck and climbed in. He didn't have a single second to spare if he was going to make it home in time for dinner. Saying that his mother didn't like it when he was late for dinner was like calling a hurricane a little rainstorm. He started the truck and backed up, turning the wheel and heading back to the Rez, hoping to get there without getting stopped for speeding.


	20. Chapter 20

**Part 20**

Amy glanced up at the clock over the stove when she heard the car pull up in the driveway. She was surprised that Maria had made it home so early; it was a few minutes before six and she had expected it to be much later when the teenager got home.

"You're home early," she commented when Maria came in and dropped her backpack and purse on the table.

"Michael had to get home for dinner and I have homework anyway so I thought I'd get started on it." She paused for a minute while she poured a glass of juice. "Have you ever been invited to dinner by a boyfriend's parents?"

Amy smiled at Maria's question; she had a hunch that it wasn't quite as innocent as it sounded. "By his parents, or his mother?"

Maria winced. "Is it that obvious?"

"Well, Catherine did come across as very protective so it's not surprising that she wants to get to know you better. Y'know, I don't think I've ever really done the dinner-with-the-parents thing," Amy recalled, frowning in concentration. _Nope, never been there._ She hurried to reassure her daughter when she realized her silence had gone on too long. "Don't worry, honey, she just wants to make sure your intentions are good and that you're not getting ready to lead her baby boy astray."

"Great," Maria muttered. She didn't know why she was so… not worried really, but ill at ease. It was just that little feeling inside of her that was telling her to be cautious.

Amy stopped pulling down ingredients for dinner and turned to look at her daughter. "You're not worried about having dinner with Michael's parents, are you?"

"Not really. Well, not a lot." She sighed audibly. "Do you think she's gonna ask a bunch of embarrassing questions?"

Amy chuckled. "Probably. It was pretty easy to see that Maggie is a Daddy's girl, but Michael is definitely his mother's son. Just be yourself, honey, and everything else will work out. Don't try to be someone you're not because you think his mother will like that person better; she'll either love you for who you are or she'll end up missing out on getting to know what a great young woman you've turned into."

Maria nodded. "I'm probably gonna get home late; I'm supposed to go to dinner tomorrow night."

"That's fine," Amy said, turning back to her dinner preparations. "Just be sure to call me when you get home so I know you got back safely."

"Are you working late tomorrow?" Maria glanced at the calendar on the wall. "Inventory counts aren't due for a couple more weeks, right?"

"No, I have a date."

"Are you still seeing that aromatherapy sales guy? Mom, this'll be like the seventh or eighth time you've been out with him." Her eyes widened in horror as a possibility suddenly occurred to her. "Oh, my God, you're not getting serious are you? Because if you're thinking long-term…" She shuddered at the thought. "If you married that guy, I'd seriously have to change my name and move to another country."

Amy chuckled at her daughter's dramatic statements and shook her head. "Howard is a very nice man, Maria." Amy bit the inside of her cheek to keep from revealing anything else. She knew Maria had her suspicions about Howard; the aromatherapy salesman had never been subtle in his interest.

"I'm not kidding about changing my name." Maria just rolled her eyes and grabbed her stuff before heading for the doorway. "I'm gonna go take a shower before dinner," she called over her shoulder.

Amy waited until she had dinner in the oven and checked to make sure Maria was still in the shower before she picked up the cordless phone and dialed a number she knew by heart. She leaned up against the counter by the refrigerator and studied her fingernails, frowning at the chips in the polish.

"Hello?"

Warmth flooded her entire being when the deep voice reverberated down the line and she couldn't help it when her heart rate tripled. "Hi there. You sound tired."

"I missed you last night," came the low response. "I don't sleep near as well when you're not here."

"I know it doesn't help, but I don't either."

"We're still on for dinner tomorrow night?" He paused. "You're not callin' to cancel or anything are you?"

"No, nothing like that." She smiled at his relieved sigh.

"Everything's okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine. Maria's been invited to dinner by her boyfriend's mother and she's a little bit nervous."

"Michael, right?" He chuckled. "I'm sure she'll do just fine. She's your daughter, Amy; she'll land on her feet."

"That's what I told her."

"Have things gotten any better with her friends?"

"No, but she's made some new friends, and they seem to make her happy." It was so nice to talk to him about Maria.

"Hey, Mom! How long before dinner's ready?"

"Sounds like someone's hungry."

"Life with a demanding teenager," she laughed.

"Well, you'd better feed her then." His smile was audible in his voice. "I'll see you tomorrow evening around seven?"

"Seven it is." Her fingers gripped the phone tightly, wishing she could literally reach out and touch him. "I love you," she whispered.

His voice dropped so that it was low and husky. "Love you too."

"Mom, I've been calling you for like ten minutes," Maria grumbled. "Do I have time to start on my homework before dinner's ready?" She glanced at the phone in her mother's hand and rolled her eyes. "You just had to call him, didn't you?"

"You've got about half an hour to get started on your homework, honey," Amy said as she replaced the phone in its cradle. She smiled at her daughter as she walked out of the room, ignoring the impressive eye roll that she got in return.

"Oh, good grief." Maria sincerely hoped that her mom wasn't getting serious about Howard of all people. She was no longer insecure about losing her mother's affections; she just believed there were better guys out there. She retrieved her glass of juice and went back to her room to get started on her Science homework.

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Michael was reclining on his bed, reading a dog-eared copy of James Joyce' Ulysses when Maggie knocked on his open door. She entered the room at his nod of permission and sat at his desk to wait while he finished the chapter. She could think of any number of things she would rather do than apologize to him, but unfortunately there was just no way around it.

She spun around in the chair a few times before she stopped and sat facing the shelves on the wall above his desk. She reached out and picked up a framed photograph of the two of them that had been taken on what the state had decided was Michael's birthday. Their dad had taken the photograph just as Michael had taken two fistfuls of the chocolate cake and he had managed to get cake and frosting everywhere. At six years old, Michael had been completely unaware of table manners, but as far as Maggie had been concerned, that had only made him more interesting.

She had quickly become attached to him, following him everywhere and trying to mimic everything that he did. They had bonded without effort and they had quickly become each other's protectors, something that had come in handy when they had started school. Without a school on the reservation, they had been transported back and forth to the school in Ruidoso where they hadn't exactly been welcomed with open arms.

Despite the passage of time, there was still a lot of animosity directed towards the children from the reservation and name-calling and fights weren't unheard of. Michael had been left alone in the very beginning, but when a couple of boys had started picking on her, he had taken them on and made himself a target instead. It hadn't taken long for some of their antagonists to realize that Michael was coming in with the other children from the reservation and as soon as that information had gotten out, along with the fact that an Indian family was raising him, he had become their main target.

Michael looked up when she chuckled, surprised that she had found something to laugh about. He marked his place and set the book on the nightstand before pushing himself up into a sitting position. "What're you laughin' at?"

"Do you remember in kindergarten when the principal called Mom and Dad to come pick us up because we'd gotten into a fight with some of the other kids when they wouldn't stop calling us names?"

He smiled at the memory and shook his head. "Kinda hard to forget that; they were pretty pissed off when they saw the matching black eyes we had. I think that was probably the longest ride home ever."

"Look, Michael, I'm sorry about everything the past few days." She stared at the picture in her hands so she wouldn't have to look at him. "After talking to Maria earlier, I realized that she obviously cares about you and she's not gonna tell anyone about you. You obviously knew you could trust her and she seems to be just fine with your differences. So, I just wanted to say that you were…" She gritted her teeth and cleared her throat before mumbling something under her breath.

"What was that?"

Maggie rolled her eyes and carefully placed the picture frame back on the shelf before turning to look at him. "I said you were right about her."

"Uh-huh. I was right."

_Here it comes_, she thought.

"So, if I was right, then you were...?"

"Is this really necessary?"

Michael considered her question for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, yeah, I think it is." He made a rolling motion with his right hand. "Go ahead, don't let me stop you."

"You were right and I was…" _God, she hated this!_ "I was… wrong."

He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest, his smug expression one of anticipation. "And if I was right and you were wrong, then that means…"

_She knew what he was waiting for and she wasn't about to give him that kind of ammunition! _"I am not saying that you're superior or that you're always right," she denied. "I have to draw the line somewhere."

"You may not admit it, but you know I'm always right."

"So, Maria's coming over for dinner tomorrow night?" Maggie asked, changing the subject before he could really get going.

"Yeah. What d'you think Mom's gonna ask her?" He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Nothin' embarrassing, right?"

"Michael, Mom would never intentionally embarrass you, but you have to know that she's gonna be asking all kinds of potentially embarrassing questions." She laughed quietly. "This's the first time you've ever gotten this involved with a girl, and on top of that, she knows your secret… Mom's gonna have all kinds of questions."

"Great," he growled.

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"Alex, it's just taking too long."

"Well, gimme a second and I'll be finished."

Isabel watched him spin the dial on the combination lock and rolled her eyes. "I'm not talking about getting into your locker." She glanced around at the deserted hallway before turning back to meet his amused gaze.

"You should probably go before someone sees you down here at my end of the hall; hangin' out by the band geeks' lockers will destroy your reputation."

"Alex, what about the letter? Maybe we need to spend more time on it."

He smiled at her impatient tone. "I know it's takin' time and you wanna know what's in the letter, but I do have a life outside of cracking that code, y'know. I've got parents that like to see me once in a while, friends that I hang out with, and a band that needs a lot more practice than we've been getting lately."

"We need to… Wait, did you just say you're in a band? Like the school band, or are you talking about an actual group?"

"Not high school band," he quickly denied. "I have a garage band and I play bass guitar." He opened the door and dropped the padlock inside before leaning against the lockers and grinning at her. "Look, I know we haven't really gotten anywhere with that code, but I promise you we're gonna figure it out. But, in the meantime we both have lives to live; just because we don't work on it twenty-four hours a day doesn't mean it's unimportant."

"Isabel! What are you doing over here?"

Alex glanced up in time to see her momentarily freeze before she caught herself and he shook his head, disappointed when her expression reverted back to the normal icy mask she wore in public.

"I told you I had seen her over here."

He looked at the two girls descending on their location and briefly entertained a vision where the intruders – two of West Roswell High's most popular and elite – were the targets in a spirited game of dodge ball.

"People will talk if you're seen over here, Isabel."

Her right hand shot up, silencing the other two girls and they took several steps back at the warning look that could easily be read in her eyes.

"I'm waiting."

Alex stared at her warily, certain he didn't want to know what she was waiting for. He really wished the girl he had been talking to less than a minute ago would come back.

"You owe me an apology and I'm not leaving until I get it." Isabel stared at him, willing him to go along with the charade so she could save face in front of the others.

"You're right," he agreed suddenly. "I do owe you an apology." He shook his head. "I'm sorry you can't see that you're better than this. The fact that you can't speak to me in public because the Snob Patrol might see you and report it is ridiculous. What're they gonna do to you, Isabel? You're not a mindless drone like them."

She winced when she heard their shocked gasps.

"You want an apology? Fine." He slammed his locker door shut and met her gaze evenly. "I'm sorry you feel the need to surround yourself with people who don't really know you and who probably never will. And I'm sorry you won't let people in who honestly give a damn about you."

"Are you just gonna let him talk to you like that?" one of the girls asked when he stalked off.

Isabel forced her gaze to rake over him dismissively. "You don't seriously think I'd waste my time or energy on someone like him, do you?" The words struck with unerring accuracy and she saw his shoulders stiffen in response before he turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

"Someone needs to let him know he can't talk to you like that," the first girl stated indignantly. "I can't believe he had the nerve to talk to you like he knows you; he's totally delusional."

"He needs to be taught a lesson," the other girl agreed. "And did you hear what he said about us?"

Isabel tuned their conversation out and walked with them to class. _They really were mindless drones_, she thought absently. She owed Alex a huge apology for what she had just done to him and she couldn't see any way out of it.


	21. Chapter 21

**Part 21**

Maria checked her reflection in the Jetta's rearview mirror once more before deciding that she was presentable and took a deep breath before reaching for the door handle. She had gone straight home after school to get ready, changing clothes half a dozen times before deciding on her current outfit. She had spent most of the day debating what she was going to wear because she didn't want Michael's mother to get the wrong idea about her and she had finally decided on a pair of black jeans and a dressy white top, hoping that at the very least, being comfortable would allow her to relax.

That theory was completely blown all to pieces when a finger tapped on the window and she turned her head to find Michael's mother motioning for her to get out of the car.

"You're early," Catherine commented when Maria got out of the car and shut the door.

Maria cleared her throat. "Well, I have a tendency to be late for everything and I really didn't wanna be late for this."

"I appreciate that." The older woman smiled. "Especially since I remember how nerve-wracking it was meeting my husband's mother the first time. C'mon inside and let's talk."

Maria followed her into the house and then the kitchen, sitting down at the table when Catherine told her to make herself comfortable.

"My son is quite taken with you," she said, placing two glasses of ice water on the table.

"Really? He told you that?" Maria winced when the question came out so eagerly.

Catherine chuckled as she shook her head. "I'm sure you've noticed by now that Michael is very non-verbal."

"I suppose that thought might've occurred to me once or twice," she admitted. "He can be very… intense."

"Yes, that's a good descriptive for him. There are times when his inability to effectively communicate what he's feeling can be difficult to deal with."

Maria didn't quite agree with Catherine's assessment. Perhaps it was because as Michael's girlfriend she had a completely different perception of his feelings. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way or anything, but you're wrong. I mean, no, he's not really forthcoming with his feelings, but it's not _that_ hard to pick up on what he's not verbalizing. He's very expressive, whether it's with his eyes or his body; you just have to know what to look for."

Catherine hid a smile when the girl didn't think twice before stepping up to defend Michael. "Go on, please."

"Communicating with Michael is kinda like learning a completely different language; he's guarded about things and sometimes he's defensive about things, but when you get past all that…" She trailed off and nodded to herself. "He's worth the time and effort."

"I realize that you're aware of Michael's… differences… but it's very important for you to understand that this can never get out. The consequences are too numerous to count and there's no telling what would happen to him if the government ever found out about him." Catherine was unaware that her voice had steadily risen throughout her speech, but she took her son's safety and wellbeing very seriously; she had to make this young girl understand what was at stake. This secret was one she would have to keep for the rest of her life, even if their relationship didn't work in the end.

Maria wasn't disturbed by Catherine's warning; she had been raised in Roswell, after all. She had grown up with The X-files and tons of other alien movies, so she knew what could potentially happen to Michael if she talked to the wrong people. "You don't have to worry about that; I would never do anything to put him at risk. I know you don't know me well enough to really know that yet, but I swear to you that he will never be put at risk by me."

Catherine nodded and cleared her throat. "There are a lot of things that I never knew I was going to have to do, and conversations that I never really considered having to participate in when we brought Michael into our family. There was a completely new set of rules that applied."

"I can imagine."

"This is one of those conversations that I never would've imagined having with my son's girlfriend," she said, smiling kindly. "While Michael does appear completely human, there are some differences that are… well…"

_Oh, my God,_ Maria thought, _she's talking about sex._ _How embarrassing! Talking about sex with Michael's mother! She'd bet her mother would have a laughing fit if she only knew! _ She cleared her throat and tried to soothe the older woman's fears. "Oh, wow, um, y'know, if you're gonna talk about sex, it's really not necessary; I mean I already know _all _about it."

Catherine nearly choked on the drink of water she had just taken and quickly reached for a napkin to wipe her mouth. She carefully set the glass on the table before she lost complete control of her motor skills and just dropped it on the floor. Good Lord, what could the girl mean by that statement? Was she one of those girls who had multiple partners and slept around at the drop of a hat? This could be one of her worst nightmares come to life! But, no, she had to seek clarification; she had to be sure before passing judgment on her son's girlfriend. "Do you?" she asked, her voice cracking just a little.

"Yes, I actually know quite a bit about sex…" Her eyes widened in disbelief when she realized what she had just unwittingly blurted out to her boyfriend's mother. _This would be a great time for the ground to just open up and swallow her whole._

The older woman's expression was horrified for several long moments where time seemed to stand still. "Really?" she finally choked out. "Quite a bit?" Multiple thoughts swirled around in Catherine's head as she tried to reconcile herself with the fact that her son – who had no experience with girls in general – was dating a girl who seemed to be very experienced on the subject. She felt her heart beating faster; this wasn't what she had expected. She had never dreamed that her son would be dating such a… _knowledgeable_ girl. This wasn't part of the plan! She tried to control her growing hysteria as she focused on the girl once more.

"Well, yeah, but what I know can only benefit my relationship with Michael." She slapped her hand over her mouth to stop the flow of words as she shot to her feet and started to pace. _God, could she make things any worse if she actually tried? _ Maria glanced at Catherine and winced when saw that the woman was immobile, as if she were in shock.

"Okay," she muttered to herself. "You can do this, Maria, you can do this." Maria cleared her throat and mentally scrambled for an appropriate response as she tried to compose herself. She dug through her purse and pulled out the small vial of cedar oil, hurriedly uncapping it and inhaling its calming scent.

Feeling suitably calmed she recapped the vial and was placing it back in her purse when she glanced across the table and noticed the other woman's expression. _Great, now she probably thinks her son's involved with a promiscuous drug addict_, she thought.

Catherine watched her, trying to make sense of the contradictions the girl presented. For a girl who, according to her own statements, knew all about sex and the facts of life, she seemed strangely nervous.

"Um, it's cedar oil… aromatherapy," she explained, wondering if this meeting could possibly be going any worse. "It's not a drug or anything, I swear."

Catherine raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And inhaling this scent calms you?"

"Yes."

"Um-hmm, and it's all natural?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Well, then, perhaps I could borrow it?"

"Oh, yeah, of course." Maria fumbled for the glass vial and placed it in the woman's outstretched hand.

Catherine studied the oil in the dark red vial as she removed the cap and placed it on the table. Lifting it to her nose, she inhaled the rich, woodsy scent, then leaned back in her chair to wait for it to begin settling her nerves.

"Hmm, that's amazing," she said several minutes later. "I actually do feel a bit calmer." She carefully placed the vial on the table and her gaze dropped to her lap as she smoothed her hands over her slacks. She expertly turned the discussion back to the main topic and when she spoke again her voice was very authoritative and mother-like. "Now, let's go back to your statement that your extensive knowledge of sex can help your relationship with my son."

Panicked, and in a hurry to set Catherine straight Maria exclaimed, "No, no, no, that's not what I meant to say." She shook her head. "Well, it is what I meant to say, but the way it came across was all wrong. See, my mom is one of those women who feel that it's very important to be aware of things and to be prepared for any situation that might come up, and her friends – who are the same way – have always been very helpful by giving advice and explaining everything under the sun… including sex. My mom isn't – " Maria stopped, her hands flying in the air as she tried to find the perfect words to describe her mother's personality. "She's not your normal, typical mom; she's a hippie and she does things a little differently than most people."

Catherine released a relieved sigh before asking, "So, when you said you know about sex…"

Maria's words literally flew out of her mouth in order to explain her liberal upbringing. "I meant that I've spent quite a bit of time with my mother and her friends, and as the liberated women that they are, they've been very forthcoming with any information that they felt would help me be more informed when it came time to making certain… decisions."

"Decisions that you maybe haven't made yet?" Catherine asked hopefully.

Maria looked around, desperately wishing for someone to come in and interrupt the painful discussion. Seeing that it wasn't going to happen, she nodded. "Decisions that I haven't had a reason to make yet," she agreed. "I've tried to learn from my mom's decisions, both good and bad, as well as her advice, and so far I think I've done pretty well."

"But you think with Michael you might have a reason to be faced with that particular decision?"

Maria shifted uncomfortably and took a deep breath.

"I assure you I'm not asking to embarrass you, Maria." Catherine reached across the table to pat the young woman's hand. "The truth is that up until now Michael hasn't shown much interest in any kind of relationship with a girl, and he's never told anyone about himself. The fact that he's so easily accepted that you know the truth has been of some concern to both his father and myself."

"Because you're afraid I'll hurt him?"

"When I first found out that you knew, yes, that was my first concern. But, there are other reasons for our concerns, and the biggest worry is the possibility that the two of you will develop a physical relationship."

Maria winced. She really wished that she was anywhere but here, having this talk. The conversation was turning out to be more than embarrassing; it was completely surreal. Maybe she could laugh about it… say, maybe in ten years or so. "I'm gonna be perfectly honest with you; I've never felt this way about any other guy and I don't know where it's gonna lead, so I'm not gonna sit here and promise you that our relationship will never reach that level when I don't even know that myself. I can promise you that if and when we do, we'll take every precaution available to us."

Catherine knew perfectly well that teenagers couldn't promise that. She would have to get used to the fact that her son was going to have sex sooner rather than later, and that she had no idea what could or would come afterwards, both on an emotional and a medical level. "I appreciate your honesty."

She spun the vial of cedar oil between her fingers and wondered what the effect would be if she just drank the liquid. "I'm not naïve by any standards, so I'm certain that my son has probably had thoughts leading in that direction, but I cannot stress the risks enough. We don't have any frame of reference for Michael's biological or genetic makeup, so we don't have any way of knowing what could happen in the case of sexual involvement."

"We haven't had the opportunity to discuss that aspect of our relationship, but I've had time to realize the possibility that our differences could make us…" Maria hesitated before finishing the thought, "incompatible in that area of our relationship. But, Michael is very similar to humans, as you know. Physically, and in other areas as well, so maybe it won't be a problem." Maria understood Catherine's worries; they were valid, but it was quite possibly true that apart from his powers, nothing else set Michael apart from humans. Chances were that sex wouldn't be that different.

Catherine hurried to stress her concerns when she realized that Maria was trying to diminish them. "My concern is for both of you, Maria. There's no way of knowing if you could have an adverse reaction and if you did…"

"I couldn't exactly go to a hospital, I know."

Catherine swallowed hard and cleared her throat at the definitive answer. "You think he's worth the risk even though he's not from… here."

"I think Michael's worth any risk, and there isn't a risk I wouldn't take for him." She waved one hand dismissively before reaching for her glass and taking a drink. "Maybe he's not from around here but he needs to be loved just as much as anybody else, maybe even more."

"Why do you say that?" Catherine asked, confused by the choice of words.

Maria shrugged. "Because I know how it feels to grow up without a father and to always wonder why he left me, why he didn't take me with him, why he never bothered even attempting to contact me while I was growing up." She shook her head, thankful that she had been able to turn the conversation in another direction. "I can't imagine how it would feel to grow up knowing both of my parents had abandoned me."

Catherine jumped just like she did any time the subject of Michael's real parents came into a discussion. "He's talked to you about his biological parents?"

"Briefly," Maria answered, not wanting to elaborate and reveal Michael's thoughts on that subject.

Catherine nodded. "I know he searches for them and it worries me every time that he discovers another lead and he takes off to look for them."

"Because you're scared of what'll happen if he finds them?"

"Yes." She smiled slightly. "But, at the same time I'm scared that he won't."

_Right. Hmm…_ Maria wondered if Catherine was being honest with her feelings. Adoptive parents would surely feel threatened by their child's biological parents, and in Michael's case, the answers to his apparent abandonment on Earth probably weren't the usual ones. His family could very well believe him dead, or they might be desperately looking for him… and they could take him away if they found him. Glancing at Catherine's tortured face, she could see that the older woman was lost in her fear of losing Michael to his real family.

"Michael's family – you, your husband, Maggie, River Dog, and Eddie – you guys are everything to him, Catherine. Everything. Looking for his biological parents in no way means that your family means any less to him."

Catherine tried to control her trembling smile, touched that the young woman was trying to comfort her. "I know; he just needs to know where he came from." She took a drink of water and set the glass back down carefully. "There's a part of me that worries that if he finds the answers he's searching for we'll lose him, whether it's because he goes with them or because he pulls away from us."

"Even if Michael found his other family and he decided to go with them, it would never make your family mean any less to him. But why would you be scared that he wouldn't find them?"

"I don't know if you're aware of it or not, but Michael's been searching for answers for a couple of years now."

"But he hasn't found anything concrete," Maria guessed.

"Not even close. He monitors websites, reads everything about sightings and aliens that he can get his hands on, and he chases down as many leads as he can, but he's never found any real evidence. And when he comes home, he won't talk about it except to say that there was nothing to find. But, I know my son, and I know what disappointment looks like on his face." She sighed. "He won't really talk to anyone about it; most of the information I get is from Eddie who goes with him when he's chasing his leads."

"It must be very difficult when that happens," Maria sympathized. "Knowing that he's hurting but he won't talk to you."

Catherine nodded. Being a mother wasn't an easy role, but it was one she wouldn't trade for anything in the world. "Knowing that he's hurt and there is nothing I can say or do to make him feel better is one of the worst feelings that exist. He's gotten much better at communicating and talking about things since we first brought him home, but not this subject."

"Maybe because it's so close, and maybe because he's scared that it'll hurt you." Maria nodded at the other woman's questioning expression. "Michael feels things so deeply and I know he would do everything in his power to avoid hurting you."

Catherine could practically feel the storm clouds gathering and she knew that change was in the air. She wondered what the future held for her family even as she acknowledged the intuition that Maria was going to be responsible for it, whether directly or indirectly. She stood and handed the vial back to her before straightening back up. "Why don't you help me with dinner and I'll tell you all about Michael's childhood."


	22. Chapter 22

**Part 22 **

Maria sat on a stool at the island in the center of the kitchen, laughing at the story Michael's mother had just finished recounting. They had finished the dinner preparations a while ago and Catherine had been telling stories the entire time. She looked up when a door slammed and a moment later Michael and Maggie could be heard arguing about something, their voices getting louder the closer they got.

"And I already told you you're not goin' out with him," Michael was saying as they entered the kitchen.

"Mom, would you please tell Michael that he's not allowed to tell me who I can and cannot date?" She smiled brightly at her brother's girlfriend and called out a greeting, bringing Michael's attention to her.

Michael shook his head when he realized that Maria was sitting right there in the middle of his mother's kitchen. He had known she was there, of course, but fussing with his sister had sidetracked him and he had momentarily forgotten. He tried to control the smile that wanted to surface when he saw her, but only managed to tone it down to a smirk.

"You're early." He cleared his throat when the words came out sounding more like an accusation than the greeting he had intended. She was biting her bottom lip as she watched him and for just a moment he thought she was going to take his head off with a scathing response, but then he realized she was trying to keep from laughing. His eyes scanned the room suspiciously and settled on his mother, who was also doing everything she could to not laugh. _This couldn't be good_, he thought as his gaze bounced between the two of them.

Maggie took advantage of his momentary state of distraction and moved across the room, her gaze scanning the countertop behind Maria as she moved past her to get a drink from the refrigerator. She stifled a giggle when she saw the pictures scattered on the tiled surface and hopped up to sit on the counter beside her mother while she waited for him to figure it out.

Michael moved deeper into the room, his gaze watchful as he neared Maria. He was less than a dozen feet from her when he caught a glimpse of the pictures lying on the counter. His steps faltered for only a moment before he reached her and his dark gaze remained locked on her while he stretched around her to scoop the pictures up, neatly tapping them into one uniform stack before taking a step back. He flipped through them to confirm what he already knew. _Uh-huh, great, pictures of some of the most embarrassing moments of my childhood, _he thought as he shrugged his backpack off of his left shoulder.

"What're you doing?" Maria asked when he shoved the entire stack of photographs into his backpack before dropping it on the floor at his feet. She shivered when his intense gaze turned predatory but she refused to look away.

His hands curled around the edge of the counter on either side of her body, preventing her from getting away as he leaned in close to her. "Do you honestly think I don't know what you've got?" He swallowed hard when her expression turned mischievous and he felt his heart flip over in his chest.

"Do you honestly think I'm gonna just hand it over?" she countered. She extended her right hand out away from her body and his eyes followed the movement, tracking the single photograph that he had easily identified as missing from the stack. "This may be the only opportunity I ever get to see you in a bubble bath."

"First and last opportunity," he growled. "Now give it here."

"So, not into bubble baths anymore then?"

"Wasn't into 'em then either." He ignored his sister when she coughed and muttered a quick, _"liar"_ under her breath. "Do I look all that happy about bein' stuck in a bathtub full of bubbles?"

"Hmm, I guess that means you prefer showers now." She lowered her head and sighed before glancing up at him from beneath lowered lashes. "That's really too bad, you don't know what you're missing."

"Okay, you two," Catherine interrupted when their voices became too low and she could no longer follow the conversation. "Michael, you have horses to feed before your dad gets home."

Maggie laughed out loud when his head shot up, his startled expression saying that he had completely forgotten that they weren't alone. She shrugged when he glared at her as she jumped down off of the counter, snagging her own backpack on her way to the door.

Michael leaned away from Maria and glanced over at his sister, shaking his head when she made a face at him as she hurried to make her escape. "Y'know, it'd go a lot faster if Maggie helped, Mom." He smirked when their mother made a noise of agreement. "With two of us we'll be able to finish and get cleaned up for dinner in record time."

"That's a good idea. Maggie, help your brother with the horses."

"I want that picture back," he grumbled before dropping a kiss on Maria's forehead and pushing back from the counter. He wasn't quick enough to mask his surprise when she capitulated so easily and offered the picture to him. "What're you doin'?"

"Trust me, Michael, that picture is burned into my memory." She smiled at him. "I never would've pegged you as the bubble bath type."

"I was six years old," he growled. "The bubbles were not my choice."

"Um-hmm, I believe you." Laughter was laced into her voice as she mocked him. "It'd be a lot easier to believe if I hadn't heard all about your fascination with bubble baths from your mom. We can talk more about it later if you'd like… after you feed the horses maybe?"

Michael pushed the picture into his shirt pocket and leaned over to grab his backpack before following his sister out of the room.

"Y'know, I don't appreciate you volunteering me for feed duty," Maggie complained, tossing her backpack into the living room and reaching for the front door.

"It'll get done faster this way." He pulled the door closed behind him and they walked out to the barn together.

"Worried about what Mom's telling your girlfriend while you're not in there?" She tossed a teasing grin over her shoulder and took off running, knowing he would chase after her.

In the barn Michael leaned against the wall outside of the small room where the feed was stored while he waited for Maggie to get what she needed. He fished the photograph out of his pocket and stared at it; his six-year-old self stared back at him, the mutinous expression completely at odds with the mountain of bubbles that surrounded him in the bathtub.

At the time it hadn't been sitting in a bubble bath that had triggered the expression, but rather the fact that he was convinced that Catherine was trying to kill him…

_The voices had woken him up and he had looked around blearily, not recognizing his surroundings at first. It had taken several minutes before he had remembered being brought to this new place the night before._

"_What time will the people from Social Services be here?"_

"_Around noon."_

"_I don't want them to take him."_

_The new voice was different and it brought the little boy out of his hiding place. His interest was momentarily forgotten as his hands rubbed over the scratchy surface beneath him. It was different than the soft stuff that was normally all around him, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pick it up._

_He was growing frustrated with his efforts when the new being suddenly appeared beside him. He stared at it, instinctively knowing it was different from the others but not understanding how. He cocked his head to one side when the being made sounds and he was intrigued by its many differences. He followed willingly when the being led the way to the place where the food was._

_He squealed and jumped back when the scratchy stuff under his bare feet changed and became cold and hard. He crouched down to study the new thing, tentatively reaching out to touch it. His fingers would barely graze it before he yanked them back; he was used to the heat of the soft sand beneath his feet, but he had never encountered the scratchy stuff or the cold thing._

_His head shot up when the being he knew lifted him up and carried him over to the thing he had sat on to eat before he went to sleep. The being… John… its name was John, placed a hand on the thing before looking at him and making a sound. He frowned when John continued making the same sound and the boy shook his head in confusion._

_He looked at the other being when it made sounds and his attention was fully focused on it when he recognized one of the sounds. His mouth moved as he attempted to mimic the familiar sound, but all he managed was a quiet fff sound._

_His eyes widened when the new being reached out and he saw the spongy thing that he favored held in its hand. He snatched it from the being's hand and bit into the thing, sighing happily at the comforting familiarity of the taste._

_He was taken to a different place once he was finished eating and he looked around with interest when he was put down and he immediately became curious when he saw the new being leaning over and turning something shiny. He tried to move closer to see what was being done but John held him still to remove the things they had covered him with._

_Naked once more, he moved to stand next to the new being and peered over the edge of the funny-shaped thing, his eyebrows lifting when he reached out and touched… He frowned. It felt the same at the stuff that came from the sky, and he always hid from that. He had never seen so much of it in one place._

_He was startled when he was picked up again, this time by the new being, and when he realized he was getting closer to the stuff that came from the sky, he folded his body up as small as he could and closed his eyes tightly. He yelped when he felt the stuff touch him and his eyes shot open as he realized that the sound had come from his own mouth. He howled in displeasure when his feet touched something solid and the being released him. He looked around, terrified when the stuff moved and it hit his chest before jumping up to hit him in the face, splashing into his open mouth._

_Surprise silenced him momentarily but within seconds, he was slipping and sliding as he scrambled over the side and dodged the new being in his hurry to escape. He was frantically searching for a hiding place when he turned and ran face first into something solid. He stepped back and relief washed over him when he saw John, but it was short-lived because he was quickly scooped up and carried right back to the new being. His little fingers dug into the soft covering that John wore, preventing him from being given to the new being. He turned his head to look at it, defiance radiating from his dark eyes when he realized it was sitting on the funny-shaped thing._

_Between the hand rubbing his back and the quiet sounds John was making he started to relax, but the wariness quickly returned when they moved closer to the new being. He made a face at it and felt happy when it moved away, but then he realized he was being lowered into the funny-shaped thing filled with the stuff from the sky. He fought against the hands holding him, kicking and screaming when the stuff surrounded him once more._

_Unfortunately the only satisfaction he received was when the stuff jumped up on John too. In the midst of his second escape attempt, he noticed a small thing the same color as the light and everything stopped as he reached for it. His eyes widened in shock when he wrapped both hands around it tightly and it jumped up before falling into the stuff from the sky._

_He watched in awe as John reached into the stuff and after a while his hand came back up with the thing. The boy reached for it, careful not to squeeze it too hard and make it jump this time. He brought it up to his nose, sniffing it for a moment before drawing back to study it. He sniffed it once more before sticking his tongue out to lick it experimentally and then jerked his head back. He frowned at the funny taste in his mouth and quickly decided he didn't like it. With an angry cry he threw it into the stuff from the sky and used his fingers to try to wipe the taste from his tongue but that only made it worse. _

_He was startled when the stuff splashed up against his body again and he looked up to see what the tall beings were doing. As soon as he realized that they weren't looking at him, he vaulted over the side and darted past them, leaving a trail of wet footprints in his wake. He ran as fast as he could, dodging around and under things in an effort to evade the beings as they chased after him. After a while it became more like a game and he was sure that they weren't going to catch him, but he made the mistake of looking away for a moment and the new being grabbed him._

_With the game over, he had no choice but to allow them to take him back to the funny-shaped thing, but he didn't have to enjoy it. He was already plotting his next escape when he spotted It standing next to the funny-looking thing, shaking something out over the stuff from the sky. His curiosity was piqued when something started to happen and his eyes widened in fascination when it began to grow. He was so busy watching It and the growing thing that he didn't notice when he was placed on his feet, and someone wrapped something around him, covering him._

_His head tipped to one side as he observed It and he moved closer to see what it was doing. He reached out to touch the growing thing, scooping up a handful of the things and he made a sound of surprise when it dissolved right in front of his eyes. He turned his head to the side when It moved over to John and made motions that he didn't understand. His eyes widened when John picked It up and placed it in the funny-shaped thing. _

_He thought back to the time before when It had showed him other things, things that had been good and he took another step closer. He froze for a moment when It reached out and touched the thing covering him, tugging on it. It began to make excited noises and he looked up when the new being crouched down next to him and placed one hand into the stuff from the sky. He frowned when the being picked him up and set him down again, but he didn't struggle against the stuff this time. He expression turned mutinous when he looked up at the being, but after a few minutes his attention was once more captured by the growing thing and he forgot that he was mad as he played with the things that disappeared each time he picked them up. _

Michael smiled as he remembered his sister's role in helping him adjust to the wonderful world of baths. He hadn't really appreciated it at the time, but looking back on it now he knew she had been important to his adjustment to everyday life.

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Alex slumped back in his desk chair and looked at the computer screen while the fingers of his right hand drummed against the armrest in perfect time to the music playing on his stereo. He reached out and his hand hovered over the mouse for a moment before settling on top of it, sliding it to the right so that the cursor settled over the button for the next screen. His forefinger tapped once, clicking on the button as he leaned closer to the screen and stared at the writing samples there.

He dragged the cursor down to the screen minimized in the tray, restoring it so that he could compare the languages. He studied the handwriting on the scanned letter for several long minutes before shaking his head and leaning back again.

"Why can't I find you?" he muttered under his breath.

This was only the second day since he had started doing research that he hadn't been accompanied by his beautiful alien shadow. He had been searching for a match to the strange language in the letter since Max had entrusted him with it, but he was still unable to identify it. The most frustrating thing about it was that the symbols were somehow familiar, but he couldn't figure out why. The more he studied it the more certain he was that he had seen it before and the less certain he was that it was alien in origin.

He looked over at the phone sitting on the opposite end of his desk and wondered if he should call Isabel. He hadn't appreciated her easy dismissal of him and while part of him had expected it, he had hoped that maybe the time they had been spending together had made a difference. He knew, of course, that it was going to take time to get past her defenses; she was impatient, demanding, difficult, bossy, and had a tendency to think that everything should go her way or not at all, but that was just the way she was. And it probably didn't help that everyone around her catered to her wishes and her temperamental behavior. In spite of that he knew there was a depth to her that people overlooked, a genuine and kind heart hidden beneath her icy façade, and an intelligence that lurked beneath that beautiful, aloof exterior.

No one knew that she had been… _helping_ him with the translation attempt; she had insisted that no one should know about them working together and he had agreed that he wouldn't tell anyone. He decided that there was no need to call her just yet. _Nah, it wouldn't hurt to keep her guessin'_, he thought with a small smile. _Besides, it wasn't like he had discovered anything new_. He shook his head and turned his attention back to the computer screen, typing a new possibility into the search engine.

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Michael hurried to get washed up so he could get back to the kitchen before his mother could dig up anymore embarrassing stories from his childhood. He didn't know why she had picked that story out of all of the possible stories that she could've told. _The bubble bath story… that was just great_. He snorted as he rummaged through his closet for a tee shirt and was pulling it on as he realized that the bubble bath story wasn't necessarily the most embarrassing story she could've told. He rushed out of his bedroom, bumping his elbow against the doorframe in his haste to stop any further storytelling.

He slowed down just before reaching the kitchen, taking a calming breath and relaxing his posture before entering the room. He glanced at the three women in the room, feeling outnumbered when they fell silent and turned to look at him.

"So, anyway, like I was saying," Maggie said, obviously continuing a story that she had already started, "Michael hadn't seen a television before…"

Maria smiled at him when he sat down on the stool beside her, easily seeing that he wasn't used to having his childhood stories shared outside of his family. He propped his right elbow on the counter and rested his chin in his hand, his expression one of disinterest. She carefully schooled her features to avoid drawing attention to the gesture when his left hand came over to cover her right one where it rested on her thigh. His hand was tense until she turned her own hand over and linked her fingers through his, and as she stroked her thumb over his knuckles she felt him begin to relax.

_Michael stared at the box Maggie sat in front of, curious when it hummed for a moment before light suddenly appeared on it and he heard a new voice. He hurried around to look at her and frowned when the voice spoke again but her mouth didn't move. He turned back to the box and reached out to touch it, jerking his hand away when he felt the static electricity tingle against the tips of his fingers. _

_He jumped back when Maggie pushed against his leg and he barely had time to form a scowl before she grabbed his arm and pulled him down to sit beside her._

"_You're blocking the tv," she complained._

_He looked down at his fingertips as he tried to decide if he was hurt or not. The tingling sensation faded and he came to the conclusion that he hadn't suffered any damage from the box just as Maggie poked him and directed his attention back to the noisy thing._

"_TV," she repeated._

_He followed her finger to the box that made sounds and talked, and his eyes widened in shock when he saw tiny people walking around in it. When they disappeared, he scrambled to his feet and searched the floor around the box, certain that they had fallen out._

Maria glanced at Michael, wondering where his mind was when she saw the faraway look in his eyes.

"I didn't realize what he was doing until Eddie came over with my grandfather one day," Maggie said, laughing. "And that is probably the only reason I can recall this story…"

_Fourteen-year-old Eddie watched the new addition to John and Catherine's family, confused by the little boy's odd behavior. He was constantly moving from one side of the television to the other and he was surprised that Maggie hadn't said anything about her cartoons being disrupted by the back and forth motion. She just shifted from one side to the other in an effort to watch her show, but never once complained about the boy's annoying behavior. _

_After a while, it occurred to him that Michael didn't understand what the television was or how it worked. The boy thought the people on the screen were coming out of the television and he was looking for them. River Dog had told him about the little boy and said that he thought it would be good for both of them if Eddie made an effort to get to know him. _

_He slouched down on the couch and reached into one of the pockets on his cargo pants to pull out several small action figure toys that he had picked up earlier in River Dog's truck. He had stuck them in his pocket without thinking and his gaze was drawn once more to the little boy searching for the little people from the television. _

_Sitting up, he shifted closer to the edge of the couch and waited until Michael had turned back to walk to the opposite side of the television again. He brought his forefinger up and pressed it against his lips in a bid for silence when Maggie glanced at him and opened her mouth to speak. As soon as Michael stuck his head around the side to look for the people, Eddie tossed two of the toys over so that they landed on the carpet behind him._

_Michael had whirled around and stared at the little people, his expression one of awe at his discovery. He dropped down to his hands and knees, quietly crawling towards the toys and as he leaned over them, his gaze quickly shot between the box and the little people as he tried to process what he had found. He poked at them several times before he carefully picked them up, studying them briefly before making a happy sound and running out of the room. _

"He carried those toys around for weeks and he wouldn't let them out of his sight," Catherine said, smiling at the memory. "I still can't believe Eddie did that."

"I can," John said, drawing their attention as he entered the kitchen. He had been leaning in the doorway for the past five minutes or so, listening to his wife and daughter recount Michael's first experiences with the television. "But, can you believe this guy carried those things everywhere with him until he realized they hadn't jumped outta the television?"

Michael leaned closer to Maria and pretended to duck when his father slapped his shoulder affectionately as he passed the couple. "Don't believe any of this," he muttered before straightening up again.

Maria turned her head to look at him while his parents took a moment to exchange a greeting. "They're cute stories." She squeezed his hand to get his attention and she smiled at him. "Hey, me knowing the truth has allowed you to be yourself around me without having to worry about everything you say or do." She nodded at his family. "It's the same for them, Michael; they're getting a chance to share things about you with someone outside of your family and that's not a bad thing."

He sighed. "Yeah, but, bubble baths and toys?"

"Not masculine enough for you, Son? I've got a story for you, Maria." John grinned when his son looked at him, dark eyes disbelieving.

Maria pressed her thigh against Michael's in a silent show of support and he shifted a little closer to her as his father spoke.

"Remember your first trip to the livestock auctions? You must've been…" He glanced at his wife. "What, honey? Six and a half or so, right?"

"Um-hmm, because it was about a month or so before Maggie's sixth birthday."

"Yeah, that's right." He shook his head and wrapped his left arm around his daughter's shoulders. "Catherine was workin' a double and this little trouble maker was spending the weekend with Linda and Christina."

"Dad," Maggie complained, dragging the single-syllable word out into several syllables.

"So I took our other little trouble maker with me to the auctions for the day."

"Trouble maker, huh?" Maria bumped her shoulder against Michael's and shot a teasing grin at him. "I never would've guessed that." She chuckled when he just rolled his eyes at her before reaching for his glass of water, resigned to the fact that his family was intent on embarrassing him in front of her.


	23. Chapter 23

**Part 23 **

Catherine watched the interaction between the two teenagers and despite her concerns that they were headed for a physical relationship, she couldn't help being thankful that her son had found someone he could truly be himself with. She looked at her husband as he started talking, sharing his own story about Michael as a little boy.

"Michael had never been around animals when I took him to the auctions that first time," he said, smiling at the memory. "Keeping an eye on him was a full time job; he started to exert his independence as he spent more time with his family and added to his curious nature, he was hard to keep up with."

_Michael's gaze roamed around the endless sea of pens that housed many strange and different creatures, his hand fisted around a handful of John's shirt as he walked beside him. He was conscious of the man's hand where it rested lightly against his back, guiding him while keeping him out of the way of other people. He was so busy looking at the various creatures that he didn't realize John had stopped walking until the man picked him up._

"_These are cows," he explained, waving his hand in a wide arc to encompass the pens that held several hundred of the brown and white creatures. "We wanna buy about a hundred of them today so we can get our own herd started."_

_Michael held both hands up, fingers extended as he looked at John for confirmation. _

"_It's a lot more than that, buddy."_

_Michael looked at his fingers and frowned. __**There was more than this?**_

_John flexed the fingers on his free hand and held it up, opening and closing it several times. "More. Remember your fives? Five, ten, fifteen…?" _

_Michael nodded; Catherine had been teaching him numbers and he was learning to count. He watched John's hand as it opened and closed repeatedly before finally dropping back to his side and his eyebrows lifted as he focused on John's face once more. He didn't know how many it really was, but he knew it was a lot._

"_But, the horses are gonna be auctioned off first so we need to take a look at a few of them before things get started."_

_Michael leaned forward when one of the cows stuck its head through the fence rails, confident that John wouldn't let him fall. He reached out and patted the top of the cow's head, intrigued by the springy feeling of the hair._

"_Cow!"_

_The animal bolted away from the fence when the little boy shouted and Michael jerked back in surprise._

_John chuckled and turned away from the cattle pens. Michael had recently started talking but he hadn't quite grasped the concept of volume in regards to his own voice. Most of his verbal communication was constructed of two or three words strung together and shouted at the top of his young lungs. _

"_Let's go see the horses now."_

_John was leaning over to put Michael down when they neared the pens where the horses were being kept, but stopped when the boy tugged on his collar insistently._

"_What's them?"_

_He turned to see what had captured Michael's attention and he smiled at the curiosity evident in his voice and expression as he stared at the animals. "Those are pigs." He chuckled and shook his head when he saw his son's eyes light up with interest at the sight of the pigs wallowing around in the mud. "No, no, no, little man, no mud for you." He carried Michael the rest of the way to the pens where the horses were kept, setting him down once they were safely away from the pigs and the mud. It provided too much of a temptation and Michael was still learning his boundaries. _

_He watched Michael clamber up the fence rails and kept a steadying hand on his back to prevent a fall. The boy was inquisitive and had an adventurous spirit, and he absorbed new information as fast as he was introduced to it. _

_John was watching the boy as he leaned forward to pat a colt that had wandered over to the fence and he smiled when the animal's whiskers brushed against the palm of Michael's hand and he giggled. _

"_Hey, John, you made it."_

_He turned his head to look at the woman who had spoken, nodding in greeting when he saw his youngest sister coming towards them. _

"_Yeah, I lucked out; they cancelled the mandatory overtime right before the last shift ended." He gave her a one-armed hug, careful to maintain his position so that Michael wouldn't fall. "Last time I talked to you, it didn't sound like you were gonna make it either, Sage."_

"_Well, I thought that since the rodeo circuit was stopping in Flagstaff and the barrel racing event isn't until tomorrow afternoon, I'd fly down so you could introduce me to this young man," she said, reaching out to tug on Michael's shirt. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise when the little boy jerked away from the contact and John just barely caught him before he fell._

"_Michael, hey, buddy, it's all right," he reassured the little boy as he settled him against his side. "This is my sister, Sage; you wanna say hi?" He shook his head when Michael looked away, but the small hands clenching and unclenching around handfuls of his shirt told him what he needed to know. "Don't worry about it, Sis." He rubbed Michael's back with small, circular motions as he turned back to look at her. "He still startles pretty easily, but he recovers fast. Give him a few minutes to relax and you can meet my boy." He shifted his weight and studied her for a moment, searching for any changes that might have occurred while she had been away from home. "So, how's school?"_

"_It's good. Two more years and I'll be able to come back home." _

"_You think you're gonna be able to give up barrel racing just like that?" he asked, well aware that the scholarship had been a means to an end in the beginning, but over the past couple of years she had really become a part of it._

"_C'mon, big brother, you know I've had my heart set on being a veterinarian since I was five years old. I enjoy the rodeo and I've made some really great friends but it's not a career for me."_

"_Okay." He nodded at the pens behind her. "Got any recommendations?"_

"_Do you have any horses that you're looking at specifically?"_

"_There're a couple from Dogwood Farms that I was lookin' at pretty seriously." He shrugged. "They've got excellent bloodlines…" He trailed off when she shook her head and motioned for him to follow her. _

"_Dogwood Farms is under new management and they added a couple of unknown horses last night. They aren't quite as sound as the others, so be careful."_

_John frowned at the single horse that was housed in the last pen, nodding when he saw the animal rear up before charging the gate. He moved back to keep a safe distance between him and the animal, glancing at his sister._

"_Okay, I touch him and he reacts badly, but this," she motioned at the angry animal, "doesn't scare him?"_

"_Don't take it personally, Sage." He set Michael down when the boy tugged on his collar and motioned to be put down._

"_Oh, I'm not. Skye said that his reactions to people vary."_

"_Yeah, he's – " He looked down and realized that Michael wasn't standing beside him any longer. His eyes widened in fear when he saw the little boy moving closer to the pen where the unsound horse was being kept. "Michael, no!" He crouched down so that he was at eye-level with the little boy. "Hey, listen to me; you don't go wandering off, do you hear me?" He pointed at the animal. "He's dangerous and he could hurt you." He stood again and motioned for Michael to walk with him. "Stay with me, buddy, okay?" _

_Michael nodded and reached up to grab a handful of John's shirt, but his gaze stayed on the horse until they had walked far enough that it was out of sight._

"_I thought Maggie was bad about wandering off," John muttered as he directed a small smile at his sister. "I'm startin' to think Michael's worse than she's ever been."_

"_He's very curious," Sage observed with a quiet laugh. "I'll bet you and Catherine really have your hands full now."_

"_That's an understatement." They had walked along, talking and catching up on each other's lives, and stopping every once in a while to debate the finer points of some of the animals. _

_Sage watched him pull Michael away from several of the pens, amused by the little boy's eagerness to discover new things. He just barely managed to catch Michael before he made it through the bars of the pen where the pigs were, snagged the boy when he set off on a chase of several dozen chickens, and scooped him up right before a goat charged him when he got into the pen unnoticed._

_He finally sat down at a picnic table in the concession area when Michael loudly declared that he was hungry, relaxing only when the boy dug into the plate of food John placed in front of him._

"_How exactly do you plan to spend any time bidding? You're gonna be chasing this little fella all day."_

"_I don't know how Catherine does it," he admitted. "She works all day, sometimes a double shift, and then comes home to take care of the kids and the house."_

"_Please," she snorted. "You're every modern woman's dream husband; you cook, you clean, you help with the kids." She rolled her eyes at him. _

"_Yeah, but I come home after workin' and most nights, the kids are already in bed. I'll be honest with you; I don't know if I could do that after workin' all day." He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "We've only been here a couple of hours and I'm already worn out… and the day's only just started!"_

"_Uh-huh, maybe because you only got off from work a few hours ago." She grinned and thumped his arm as she stood up. "I'm gonna go grab a drink. You want anything?"_

_He waved her off and sighed tiredly as he squeezed the bridge of his nose._

"_Uh, John?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Where's your kid?"_

"_What? Damn it, I only closed my eyes for a minute. He's – " Being tired flew right out the window and John shot to his feet to look around frantically before realization dawned. "Oh, hell… he's gone back to the horse pens."_

_Michael stood in front of the pen, his eyes glued to the large animal. The horse stared at the little boy and the ears pinned back in warning slowly relaxed and returned to their natural upright position. The horse snorted and ambled over to the gate to watch the little boy as he climbed up to sit on the top rail._

_Sage ran behind her brother, trying to keep up with him as he made his way through the maze of corridors that led to the horse pens. It seemed incomprehensible that the boy had managed to find his way back to the horses since they had only been to that part of the lots once and they had been to many other areas afterwards. She caught sight of the boy sitting on the fence where the horse that she had warned John against buying was housed, and she heard him shout the boy's name. Her eyes widened in disbelief when Michael turned so quickly that he lost his balance and tumbled down into the pen and she knew that he was in danger of being kicked or trampled to death. _

_She caught up with him seconds after he reached the pen and she put a restraining hand on his arm, stopping him from jumping over it. "Easy, John. Whatever you do, don't spook that horse."_

_John crouched down in front of the gate and rested his arms on one of the rails as he tried to bring his pounding heartbeat under control. The animal wasn't doing anything threatening but he knew that could change in the blink of an eye. He took a deep breath and controlled the urge to climb into the pen before he let his gaze focus on his son._

_Michael was leaning against the horses' side, his little hands petting the leg closest to him as he babbled quietly. He didn't seem to be hurt from his fall into the pen but there was straw sticking to his clothes and in his hair._

"_Michael, buddy, I want you to come over here to me, and move slowly."_

_The little boy looked up and nodded before giving the horse one more pat and walking to the gate, climbing up over it where John grabbed him and hugged him close. _

"_I've never seen that horse so calm."_

_John looked up when he heard the new voice and he turned to look at the man who had spoken. "I'm sorry, what?" _

"_That horse has had behavior problems since day one; we figured we'd be doin' good if we were able to sell him to one of the buyers for the slaughter – " _

"_I've got the picture," John interrupted. He turned his head when he felt Michael move and he smiled when the horse gently nudged the boy's outstretched hand. He had never seen anything like what he had just witnessed between his son and the animal on the other side of the fence, but he had a feeling it was somehow important. _

"_You're the owner?" Sage questioned, watching her brother as he watched his son._

"_One of them," the man said, holding his hand out. "George Martin."_

_She nodded at the horse as she shook his hand. "He's about a year old?"_

"_Yeah, and refuses to be taught."_

"_You said you didn't expect much for him at auction?" John asked, glancing away from the unexpected affection between his son and the horse._

"_No sir wasn't expectin' much at all." He shook his head at the unlikely bond forming between horse and child. "Looks like that boy of yours has had quite an affect on that animal. Make me an offer and we'll work it out."_

"_I'll make you an offer, Mr. Martin," Sage said before her brother could speak. "I've got this, John." She pulled a paper out of her back pocket and glanced through the listings. "So, Mr. Martin, tell me about… Sundance. I assume your vet's given you a reason for his problems?"_

_John watched her walk away with the horses' owner before turning his attention back to Michael. He set the boy down with his back to the pen and crouched down in front of him. He reached up to hold him still with one hand and grasp his chin with the other, forcing Michael's gaze to remain on him. _

"_Don't ever do that again, do you understand me?" he said sternly. "You could've gotten hurt. You don't know what these animals are capable of, Michael."_

"Sundance? Isn't that the name of your horse?" Maria asked.

Michael chewed on a piece of ice and nodded. "Uh-huh, my aunt gave him to me."

"So, not a horse whisperer, huh?"

John grinned at the teasing words she aimed at his son and chuckled when Michael rolled his eyes and shook his head. _Obviously there was a private joke between them_.

"Does he have this connection with other animals or just horses?"

This time the question was aimed at him and John launched back into his story.

_John finished loading the horses and made arrangements with the necessary people for the delivery of the cattle he had purchased for their starter herd before seeing his sister off. She was signed up for an event the next day and he knew she would need to get back to Flagstaff so that she could rest up before she was scheduled to ride. _

_Michael had slowly warmed up to Sage as the day had progressed, and by the time they were seeing her off, she even managed to get a small smile out of him. The stock trailer was loaded and they were finally ready to head for home when John had realized that his son had acquired another little friend. He stopped walking and turned around to take a better look at the small puppy that was slinking along the edge of the stalls behind the boy. Every few steps Michael would stop and look at the animal and John could tell that he wanted to pick it up, but he was doing his best to do what he had been told to do._

_The puppy whined, drawing John's attention and he realized that the animal was injured. It was limping, dragging its right hind leg behind it while making an attempt to catch up to the little boy. Michael looked at John, his dark gaze pleading with him to let him go to the animal, and he nodded his permission._

_Michael sat down on the floor beside the puppy and stroked its dirty, blond fur with gentle hands. The puppy did its best to maneuver its body into the boy's lap without jarring its injured leg, finally settling into a position that seemed to be comfortable._

_Resigned to the fact that he was going to be taking the puppy home, John had checked around to make sure it didn't belong to anyone before he settled the boy and puppy into the backseat. He had checked the animal's injured leg but hadn't located the injury so he knew a trip to the local vet would be in order for the next day. __**At least he didn't have to worry about explaining the puppy to Catherine**__, he thought as he checked his mirrors before pulling out of the stockyards. She would be quite happy that Michael had made a little friend despite the fact that it would be another mouth to feed and something else to clean up after. _

_The drive home had taken a couple of hours and he had been glad to see that his father had dropped by to help with the new livestock. Catherine had joined them long enough to ask how the day had gone and to scoop up Michael's sleeping form, smiling at the picture he made with his arms loosely circling the puppy._

_By the time she had changed Michael into a pair of pajamas and put him to bed, her husband and father-in-law had finished unloading the horses and were in the kitchen waiting for the coffee to finish brewing._

"_I think that's the hardest he's slept since we brought him home," she commented._

"_Boy had a very busy day," John agreed, letting some of his weight rest on her when she leaned against the counter beside him._

"_I heard; Sage called when she got back to Flagstaff. She said Michael gave you quite a scare this afternoon."_

"_Took a good ten years off my life." He shook his head. _

_He was just finishing recounting the events of their day when he noticed the thoughtful expression on his father's face. "What're you thinkin', Dad?"  
_

"_When I was a young man, a visitor came here; he appeared to be human but he wasn't. He was from another place and he hid behind a human mask to protect him from those who would harm him."_

"_Do you think he's related to Michael?"  
_

_River Dog glanced at his daughter-in-law, easily hearing the fear in her voice. "No. Nacedo was different and he never spoke of others like himself, but I sensed a darkness in him…" He shook his head. "The animals wouldn't go near him and they reacted nervously anytime he came close to them."_

"_The visitors… the aliens, they must have different species or cultures," Catherine said, musing aloud. "We have different cultures, many of them, so surely aliens would have diversity as well."_

"Wow, so there was another alien here years before Michael?" Maria asked. "Where'd he go?" She looked at Michael. "Have you looked for him? Did you meet him?"

"He took off years ago, and no, I've never met him."

"But you've looked for him?"

"Yeah. Doesn't matter though." He shrugged indifferently. "Never found anything."

"It's important to you though."

He shrugged again.

"We'll find him, Michael." She squeezed his hand supportively and leaned in to brush a kiss against his cheek. "We'll find him."

Michael turned his head to stare at her, captivated by the conviction in her tone and the sincerity in her green eyes. She believed what she was saying… and he believed her.

"All right, kids, let's get the table set for dinner," Catherine said, attempting to interrupt the moment.

Michael leaned in closer to Maria and his lips found hers unerringly, the kiss gentle and brief since there were others in the room. He smiled when he pulled back and he allowed her to see the gratitude that he felt at her understanding. "Thanks." He was oblivious to his mother's concerned expression as he grabbed a stack of dinner plates off of the counter and carried them into the dining room.

John placed a restraining hand on his wife's arm when she started to speak and he breathed a sigh of relief when she waited until the girls had followed Michael to give him a hand with the table settings.

"She shouldn't be encouraging him like that, John," Catherine hissed as she jerked around to look at him. "He's only gonna get hurt again."

"Honey, it's important to Michael to find out where he came from; no matter how many disappointments he's come up against, that has never changed." He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. "You wanted him to have someone who could accept him for who he is, and she's done that. She wants to help him with something that means so much to him, and if that means – "

"What happens when they take off on one of his quests and she can't deal with him when they get wherever and realize that once again it's nothing?"

John chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Is that what you're really worried about, Cath? Or are you worried that she will be able to deal with him?" He knew she wasn't ready to let Michael go yet no matter how much she wanted him to be with someone like Maria. "We won't know the answer to that, to how she'll deal with him, until it happens. So, let's not worry about it until we need to. And in the meantime, let's go eat because I for one am starvin'."


	24. Chapter 24

**Part 24**

The maitre'd escorted Amy to the table her date had reserved and she smiled at him when he stood and waved the man away, kissing her in greeting as he pulled her chair out for her. He smoothed his hand over his tie as he sat down once more and he leaned forward over the table to look into her eyes.

"You are absolutely beautiful," he murmured.

Amy blushed at the compliment and just barely kept from giggling like a schoolgirl. She had been dating Gabriel for a few months and things had been progressing at a fairly comfortable rate but she knew he was ready to move their relationship to the next level.

The restaurant he had chosen for dinner was dimly lit with candles at each table and the low hum of quiet conversations around them. The atmosphere was romantic and it meant a lot to her that he had gone to the trouble to pick out such a nice place.

They talked about a dozen different things throughout dinner, and afterwards, as they held hands across the table, he brought up the one subject that had recently started to cause some tension between them.

"You know what I'm gonna ask, Amy." He lifted his head and met her gaze directly. "I know what I want and I want it with you."

"I'm just not ready yet, Gabriel. I've just… I've got some things I've got to work out before I can make a commitment of this magnitude."

He nodded. "I understand that, and I respect it. We can do this with small steps, but I think it's important that we take them together. You and Maria are very close and I know part of the reason for your reluctance to move forward is because you're concerned about how it'll affect her, but we're not gonna be able to do anything if we don't get past that hurdle."

"I'm not trying to be difficult…"

"I know that, honey," he assured her.

"It's just that since she's been cut off from her friends, I'm concerned that she's feeling abandoned; I don't want her to feel that way because of me too."

Gabriel nodded in understanding. "I know you have your daughter's best interests at heart, Amy, and I know that I don't have any children of my own to base my thoughts on, but I can't imagine that Maria's gonna have a problem with you bein' with someone who makes you happy." He reached for his wine glass and took a drink. "Invite me over for dinner so I can meet your daughter, Amy."

"I will. Just… just, not yet, okay?"

He sighed regretfully. He had hoped tonight would be the night when she said yes, when she made the decision to allow him into that part of her life. He knew it was a big step for her and she had her reasons for waiting but it was frustrating for him. He brought his disappointment under control and smiled at her. "All right, I'll wait." He motioned for the check. "It's a beautiful night; why don't we take a walk down by the river."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

John observed the teenagers as he took his place at the head of the table; Michael and Maggie were squabbling over who was getting the larger cut of meat while Maria watched them, her gaze rapidly bouncing back and forth.

"Michael, let it go," Maggie growled.

"Aren't you goin' to that stupid dance in a few weeks? Maybe you need to not eat so much. I'd hate for you to find out you weren't gonna fit in that goofy dress."

Maggie's eyes narrowed for a moment before her expression relaxed and she smiled. "Do you really wanna go there?"

"What?"

"One of us has an extremely high metabolism and since you could stand to lose a few pounds, it must be me." The brief moment of shock was all she needed to get the larger piece of meat and she smiled sweetly when he glared at her.

_He could stand to lose a few pounds?! _Michael couldn't believe she had said that in front of Maria.

"Okay, if you two are finished behaving like a couple of uncivilized animals that haven't eaten in weeks, maybe we can enjoy a peaceful dinner?" Catherine's tone let them know that it wasn't a question but rather an expectation. She was amazed that they were comfortable enough with Maria to completely let their guard down and act like themselves to this extent. It hadn't occurred to her before dinner that she would need to remind them to mind their manners; they were usually much better behaved when company was present. _But, Maria's not just company is she?_ Catherine thought.

"So, Maria, you live in Roswell with your parents?" John asked when he noticed his wife's pensive expression.

Maria set her fork down before answering. "I live there with my mom."

"What about your father?"

Catherine and Maggie both responded to the question with a swift kick to his shins and he stared at his wife, mouth hanging open in shock. _What had he said?_ She shook her head once, sharply, and he was just about to change the subject when Maria spoke.

"I don't know where my father is," she answered, feeling just a little self-conscious. "I haven't seen him or heard from him since I was six, so…"

"Hey." Michael's low, gruff voice drew her gaze to him and he lifted an eyebrow in question.

"I'm fine."

But she wasn't and he knew it. Her father was a sensitive subject and one she rarely offered information about unless asked directly. He didn't want to make her any more uncomfortable than his father already had so he made a mental note to talk to her when they had a moment alone later.

Maria looked around the room as she waited for the uncomfortable moment to pass. Her gaze settled on a large photograph of the desert at sunrise that hung on the wall behind Catherine. She scanned over the picture, marveling at the way the sunlight played over the light coat of snow that had fallen over the desert. Everything in sight was covered with a thin layer of snow that made the landscape seem even more isolated than normal.

"That's beautiful," she murmured.

Catherine turned her head to follow the young woman's gaze and she smiled proudly. "Michael took that a couple of years ago. He just loves photography and he's so talented, don't you think?"

"Yes, he is." Maria's eyes widened as an idea suddenly occurred to her. "I knew it!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I knew I'd figure it out!"

Everyone at the table stopped eating to look at her, surprised by her outburst.

"You thought it was gonna take a lot longer didn't you?" She was grinning broadly, as she looked back at Michael, positive that this time she had it figured out. "You wanna be a photographer and that is why your grandfather nicknamed you Magnum."

He smirked at her before glancing around at the others who had remained silent, unaware of the revelation Maria's thoughts had led her to. She was wearing a smug expression and he knew she thought she finally had the answer.

Maria looked at the confused expressions of the others at the table, ignoring Michael when he shook his head at her. "The Magnum Photography Agency! It's famous… known worldwide… my mom collects their magazines! C'mon, that's gotta be the connection!"

Realization dawned and Catherine laughed as she shook her head. "Well, it's a fact that Michael loves his photography, but you're on the wrong track, sweetie. My father-in-law gave him that nickname for a completely different and unrelated reason."

"Thought you had it, didn't you?" Michael smiled at the pout that had taken the place of Maria's earlier triumphant smirk. "Takin' photographs started out as a hobby," he said, elbowing Maggie when they reached for the last dinner roll at the same time. "Back off."

"Why don't I go get more rolls before you two end up wrestling over that one," John said, getting up and setting his napkin down beside his plate. The amount of food his kids were capable of putting away never ceased to amaze him.

"In the oven, John," Catherine called after him.

"Anyway, when I first started taking photographs, I was usin' an old camera that Dad had layin' around the house, but I realized I could get better quality after I borrowed a camera from a friend in one of my classes. The problem with that is the money involved; quality equipment is quality for a reason and it's expensive. So, I started hangin' around the photography club my freshman year and the teacher wanted me to consider joining the high school paper sophomore year."

He shrugged and started to speak again but his father came back with a plate of cornbread and he paused to reach for a piece, yanking his hand back when Maggie popped his knuckles with her fork. "Ow! What'd you do that for?"

"Don't stick your arm across my plate."

"Keep it up," he warned, reaching for the cornbread once more. "You're gonna end up goin' to that stupid dance by yourself."

Maggie rolled her eyes and leaned forward when she realized Maria was watching them. "He thinks he can intimidate any guy who shows the slightest bit of interest in me." She glared at her brother for a moment, shaking her head when he merely shrugged his shoulders and doused his cornbread with Tabasco sauce. "Unfortunately, most of the guys at school buy his intimidation act."

"It's not an act," Michael said. "I am intimidating… and I was also in the middle of a story."

With another eye roll and a wave of her hand she gestured for him to continue. "By all means, don't let me interrupt you."

"Anyway, since workin' on the school paper would look good on my college applications and it would give me access to better quality equipment, I decided to give it a shot."

"He won an award last year for his depiction of Native American life," Catherine said, her tone filled with pride.

"Yes, he did. Teacher said it was scholarship material," John added.

Maria smiled. It was easy to see that Michael's parents were proud of him. Maggie was too, but she seemed quite comfortable to let them do most of the talking. "I can't believe you're a photographer for your school paper."

"Why?"

She shook her head at the wariness in his tone. "No, it's just cool that you do that; I write for my school paper."

"Did you always wanna be a writer?" John asked.

"No, I didn't really have any interest in the paper or writing for it until a couple years ago and it's all my English teacher's fault."

_George Salinas had been teaching for seventeen years and he couldn't recall a single student who had ever talked as much as Maria DeLuca. After having her in several classes over the years he knew she wasn't intentionally disruptive, but if she had an interesting topic in mind, she was going to share it with anyone who would listen. She was excitable, energetic, and always enthusiastic about her subjects, which meant more often than not she commanded her classmates' attention._

"_Ms. DeLuca, do you suppose I might have a few moments of your time after class?" He turned back to the blackboard as soon as he had her confirmation. Some students could be intimidated into silence, but not Maria. No, he had made the mistake of asking her if she wanted to share with the entire class the first time he had caught her talking, thinking she would be embarrassed and remain silent for the rest of the hour, but she had simply added the rest of the students to her captive audience. He had never asked the question again._

_After the bell rang he waited for the students to scatter before he moved to sit on the corner of his desk. "Do you have your notebook?" He nodded when she pulled it out from under her textbook. "I'd like for you to write something down." She was puzzled but she opened the notebook to a clean sheet of paper and waited, her pen poised above the paper. "To talk or not to talk, that is the question."_

_Maria wrote the words down and then looked at him expectantly. "What else?"_

"_That, Ms. DeLuca, is up to you. That is your topic. I will expect to have your twenty-five-hundred-word essay on my desk when you come to class on Monday."_

_She stared at him in disbelief. "But, today's Friday."_

"_Then you'll want to get started soon, won't you?"_

"_But, but… no one else got this assignment!"_

"_No one else spent the entire hour running their mouth either. Every action has a consequence, remember that."_

_The following Monday afternoon, George Salinas had settled down in the teacher's lounge to read over Maria's essay. He chuckled at the post-it note stuck to the front, the note scribbled on it in sparkly purple ink informing him of just how unfair the assignment had been. He peeled the note off and stuck it to the table before leaning back to read the paper._

_He could practically hear her voice in the rantings that had been captured in ink and confined to paper. She had started by saying that despite living in a free country some people just weren't allowed to speak their minds. From there, her rant had progressed to how humans had evolved as a species the moment they learned to speak, to think for themselves, and to communicate those thoughts. Her theory that talking was liberating, a form of healing, art in the form of songs, novels, plays, and speeches, and that words were the true weapons of freedom, impressed him and an idea had formed._

"_You want me to do what?"_

"_I talked to Mrs. Harvey, the teacher who oversees the school paper, and after reading your essay, she agreed that you've got talent and that it's being wasted. With your permission, we'd like to print your essay in next week's paper."_

"_Okay," Maria said slowly._

"_Ms. DeLuca, you're a motormouth, but you're creative and you're passionate about things; channel that energy into something that can help you."_

"_I'm not a writer, Mr. Salinas."_

"_But the capability is there. You've got a way with words. Mrs. Harvey has a spot for a writer open and she thinks you've got more than enough talent to fill it. She'll work with you; teach you how to express yourself in a couple of paragraphs without losing any of your creativity or passion. And if that's not enough to make you think about it, consider how good it'll look on your college applications."_

"So, it wasn't something I had planned to do, but I ended up enjoying it." She shrugged. "As I got more comfortable with journalism, I started to see myself as the Lois Lane of the future." Her gaze shot to Maggie when the girl burst out laughing. "What?"

"You started to see yourself as the Lois Lane of the future? You must be psychic, Maria. Because, Lois Lane? She was in love with an alien, remember? How funny is that?"

Maria was a bit stunned. She hadn't thought about that, hadn't considered what a coincidence her relationship with Michael was, or how it did in fact mirror the fictional journalist she had in some small ways modeled herself after. What were the chances that she had chosen a character from a television show and now here she was dating an actual alien? The odds had to be phenomenal. She wondered if there was some plan, or if some_one_ or some_thing_ existed that had put ideas in her mind about aliens and journalism, ideas that had led her to see herself as the Lois Lane of the future. She smiled. "I hadn't thought of it like that."

"Well, journalism and super heroes aside, it looks like both of you have artistic sides."

"It must run in the family; my father was an artist."

"Think you'll get a journalism scholarship?" Michael asked.

"Maybe, but it's only a small one so I'm already expecting to work my way through college."

"Yeah, same here."

Catherine stood to start clearing the table and John waved her back into her seat. "The kids can get that, Cath; I'm sure that chocolate cake you made for dessert is enough incentive to get them movin'."

Maggie and Michael exchanged a comical look of disbelief. Cake was not something Catherine made very often, preferring that her children eat things that were healthy and good for them. It was a rare treat and one that had them clearing the table without a single complaint.

Michael motioned for Maria to remain in her seat when she started to get up to help. "We've got this down to a science; it won't take that long."

"I'd better go get that cake before they get their hands on it."

John caught her hand as she walked past him and he grinned when their eyes met. "You got ice cream too, right?"

"I swear you're worse than the kids, John."

"But?"

"Yes," she huffed, "I got ice cream too."

"Cake and ice cream," he mused when he and Maria had been left alone at the cleared table. "You are officially my favorite person, Maria."

"Why's that?"

"This kinda dessert isn't somethin' we see a lot of around here. Catherine's father died a couple of years ago after a massive heart attack and since then, she's been on a mission to make sure we're all takin' care of ourselves properly. She's always been cautious about stuff like that but after she lost her father…" He shook his head. "Let's just say this is an incredibly rare treat and it'll be worth whatever rabbit food diet she sticks us with for the next week."

"My mom's real big on maintaining a balanced diet too, and that's not easy when she's always making homemade pies for the café where I work."

"Sounds like your mother's a very busy woman."

"She is. Between that, running her own business, making it to the shows to get exposure for some of her suppliers, and staying active in her group, she's got a pretty full plate."

John read between the lines, hearing what she wasn't saying. _It must have been difficult to manage a business and raise a child alone_, he thought. He leaned forward and propped his forearms on the table. "I should apologize for prying about your father."

"That's not necessary," Maria objected.

"No, it is. Catherine usually warns me if there're topics I should avoid or approach with a less… direct manner, but either I missed the signals or she forgot to send them. Either way, I didn't mean to pry." He tipped his head to one side as he regarded her with a smile. "I'll warn you now; Michael is just as bad as I am about barging into a situation and askin' questions." He nodded when she smiled. "I see you've already realized that."

"Yeah." She looked up when the others came back in the room.

John was just about to cut into the slice of cake Catherine placed in front of him when he noticed Maria's rapt expression. He nudged his wife's knee under the table and she turned to follow his gaze, nearly laughing out loud when she saw what had captured his attention.

Maria was watching Michael as he poured Tabasco sauce over his cake and ice cream, her expression a mix of disgust and fascination. "What're you doing?"

Michael glanced up as he set the bottle down, shrugging at her question. "What? Sweet an' spicy; it's a dietary thing, okay?"

"I've just never seen anyone do that."

"Shocking," he muttered. "Considerin' all the other aliens you know."

"Are you gonna be this defensive about everything? Because chances are good that there are still a million things for me to discover about you."

"Are you gonna stare at me every time I do somethin' you're not used to?"

Maria shrugged. "Probably. Are you gonna get this defensive every time you do something new and I stare?"

"Probably," he said mockingly. He grinned suddenly. "Guess you'll just have to get used to it."

She smiled when she heard the challenge in his tone. "I guess we'll both have to get used to it." She watched him take a large bite of the cake, wincing at the Tabasco sauce dripping off of it. "Have you always eaten your food with hot sauce on it?"

"Once Mom got over the initial shock I did."

"We noticed early on that he had a preference for almost anything hot or spicy; he was always trying to put hot sauce on his food, especially when it came to sweets," Catherine said when Maria looked at her. "I was worried about things like ulcers and digestive problems and he was determined to eat every spicy thing he could get his little hands on. I was concerned about what affect spicy food would have on him because we couldn't take him to the hospital if he got sick, so I made sure he wasn't getting anything that was hot. But after a while, I realized he wasn't putting any weight on and he should've been."

"This is no longer a problem," Maggie interjected helpfully.

"Keep it up, Maggie," he snarled under his breath.

Catherine shook her head at her children and continued. "I started using different spices in his food, trying to figure out which ones he liked and I eventually got it figured out, but he kept going after the hot sauce. John wanted me to let Michael have the hot sauce for a few days to find out how he reacted to it so I finally agreed."

"She agreed _reluctantly_," John said. "And then she poured half the bottle out and added water to it." He chuckled at the memory. "She put that bottle in front of him and he snatched it up and shook it out all over his food. He was all excited about it until he took that first bite and realized it wasn't right. This boy," he gestured at his son with his fork, "threw a temper tantrum like I had never seen before – "

"Which is when you started laughing like a big hyena and were absolutely no help at all." Catherine shook her head. "That was pretty much the end of my attempts to try and get him to slowly adjust to hot sauce. But he's been eating it ever since then and it doesn't seem to have affected him adversely."

"Nope, not a bit," Maggie agreed, pushing away from the table and standing up with her empty plate in hand. She started to walk away but leaned over his shoulder instead. "Dragon breath," she whispered in his ear before hurrying out of the room.

"She's goin' to that stupid dance alone."

"You've been makin' that threat since you found out about the dance," John said, wondering what his daughter had whispered to put the scowl on her brother's face.

"Yeah, well, if you saw the potential dates she was scratchin' off her list, you'd be makin' the threats."

John's gaze shot to his son and the hand holding a cake-laden fork stopped midway between his plate and his mouth. "What?"

Maria glanced at Catherine to see if she was going to say anything and nodded when the woman made a _wait_ gesture with her left hand.

Michael snorted and shook his head. "Don't worry, Dad, I've already worked my way through most of that list." He scraped the last of the cake off of the bottom of his plate and licked the fork clean. "I've got it under control."

"What'd you say?" Maggie asked, shoving his shoulder as she walked up behind him.

"I said you wash an' I'll dry," he answered, standing and stacking the rest of the empty plates on top of his before following his father into the kitchen.

"Talk about a strategic retreat." Maggie rolled her eyes and leaned against the back of the chair. "He's only worked through the B list." Her smirk was nearly identical to her brother's. "He does not have access to the A list, despite what he thinks."

Maria was impressed. "You have a separate list of guys made up to keep him away from the ones you're interested in?"

"Of course. Michael is a great protector and he means well, but he's way too intense to release on the guy I've got my eye on. The great thing about the guy is he's the complete opposite of my normal type, so my know-it-all, overprotective brother won't suspect him until it's too late for him to do anything about it."

"Hey," Michael interrupted, "I can't start dryin' until you start washin', so let's go."


	25. Chapter 25

**Part 25 **

Maria sat beside Catherine at the island in the center of the kitchen while Maggie washed, Michael dried, and John put the dishes away. They were talking about sports and debating which high school basketball team had the best offense.

"Well, I'm obviously biased," Maggie said, turning to lean back against the counter as she handed the last plate to her brother and snagged another towel to dry her hands. "As point guard for the Ruidoso Wildcats I'd have to say that we have the best offense." She nodded at Maria. "How's Roswell doing this year? Any tips you wanna give me?"

"I don't really know that much about basketball, but Roswell is undefeated this year."

"I know. They need to keep it that way for a few more weeks."

"Um, why?"

Michael turned around and leaned against the counter next to his sister. "Because she wants to be responsible for breaking their winning streak."

"Oh, the big rivalry thing." Maria nodded. West Roswell High and Ruidoso High were the two biggest rivals in their division and both were as yet undefeated.

"That's right, and the Wildcats are going to remain undefeated. I know West Roswell's your school and everything, but it'd be great if you'd come to the game. It's three weeks from tomorrow and since it's on a Friday night maybe you could stay overnight and we can hang out on Saturday."

"That'd be nice," John said. "I'm not sure how nice it'll be for you since a lot of your classmates will probably be there."

"Oh, no one I hang out with will be there," Maria denied. "None of my friends spend a lot of time watching sports, and the only time we really go to any of the games is if they're home games. But, yeah, if you're sure, I'll ask my mom about it."

"Cool. So, do you play any sports?"

"No, I'm not really sports-oriented."

"Really? None?"

"Well, I do have a black belt in Judo, but I don't compete or anything."

"Yeah, okay."

Maria's eyebrows shot up at Michael's mocking tone and she glared at him. "Are you implying that I'm lying?"

"No, I'm implyin' that you're delusional." He shook his head and laughed. "First, you're all of what? Five foot four? You're not gonna be tossin' anybody around. And second, you said your mom's a hippie, right? Make love, not war… save the whales… or whatever mission might mistakenly need to be saved – "

"Are you mocking my mother now?"

Michael lifted his left eyebrow and shook his head. "No, I'm just wonderin' how your peace-lovin', save-the-world, activist mother rationalized Judo lessons."

"For your information, my mom is an independent woman who knows all about how dangerous the world is for women, so she's very big on self-defense." She nodded to herself. "Girl power."

"Girl power," Michael snorted. "You're kiddin', right?"

Maria stood up and crossed the room to stand in front of him. "Wanna test my girl power?" she challenged, poking him in the chest emphatically with each word.

"No."

"Because you know I'll win."

"Because I'm bigger than you and you'd probably get hurt."

Maria laughed outright. "Please. I could have you flat on your back in less than ten seconds."

Michael's gaze locked with Maria's as he considered her challenge. She was obviously confident in her abilities, but the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. Something in her eyes told him that this was important to her though, and that he needed to do this. "Okay," he said finally, "but you promise you'll stop when you realize I'm too much for you to handle."

"Of course."

"Oh, I've gotta see this," Maggie said, hurrying after them.

"I'm not sure we should allow this," Catherine said, looking at her husband.

John held his hand out to her. "Where's your sense of adventure, Cath?"

"We don't want either of them to get hurt."

"Meanin' you think she might be able to do exactly what she says she can do. They're not gonna hurt each other; it's just a demonstration."

"Y'know, one of these days Maggie's gonna start dating seriously and when that happens you're gonna understand what I'm going through."

John smirked. "Honey, with Michael intimidating any and every guy who crosses her path, I won't have to worry about that for a long time."

_Yeah, you just keep thinking that way_, Catherine thought.

They stopped in the doorway, watching Michael and Maria as they stood in the center of the room. They had already pushed everything back and out of the way and Maggie was perched on the arm of the couch, waiting expectantly.

"Okay, this is called _Yama Arashi_ and it's very simple. You stand just like you are and put your right hand on my left shoulder and your left hand under my right arm… and then I'm gonna use my left hand to grab a handful of your shirt right here, at your right shoulder, and I'm gonna put my right hand on your left shoulder, okay?"

"Uh-huh." He sounded bored. "Now what – "

Before he could finish the question she twisted her body to the left, pushed her right hip into his right side, put pressure on his left shoulder, hooked her right leg behind his, and used her hip for leverage to flip him over on his back. He looked up at her, trying to figure out how she had managed to put him on the floor so quickly. She was standing over him, straddling his stomach, with her right hand wrapped lightly around his throat.

Loud laughter combined with clapping caught his attention and he tipped his head back. He hadn't realized that his entire family had followed them into the living room to witness the humiliating moment.

"You're not too much for me to handle, Michael," Maria said quietly.

He nodded, accepting the statement for what it was. "Next time you wanna demonstrate one of these _techniques_ do you think maybe we could do it without an audience?"

"You're the one who made fun of my girl power in front of your family," she reminded him. "And you had to know I couldn't just let that go unchallenged."

A bright flash interrupted whatever he had been about to say and once the tiny black spots stopped dancing in front of his eyes he turned his head to look at the culprit. Maggie grinned as she held his camera up and he overlooked the fact that she was holding the most expensive piece of equipment he owned because he knew that the picture would be worth even more.

Maria straightened up and helped him to his feet before glancing at her watch. "I should probably be going," she said, noting the time. "It's getting late and I've got school tomorrow."

She helped him move the furniture back into place and then straightened up a few things that had shifted when they slid the coffee table back in front of the couch. She walked over to Michael's parents when he left the room for a moment, surprising them when she hugged each of them in turn. "He's so lucky to have you guys for parents."

"Thank you," Catherine said with a smile.

"Dinner was wonderful. Thank you both for a lovely evening."

"And thank you for keeping Michael in line," Maggie said as she joined them. "I hope you know that's gonna be a full-time job."

"Yeah, he's gonna be a challenge, but I've got a feeling he's well worth it."

"Okay, I'll walk you out," Michael said as he came back into the room. He stopped and looked around at the others, wondering what he had missed when they all smiled at him. "If you're ready…"

"Yeah, I'm ready. Thank you again," she said to his parents before turning back to Maggie. "I'll talk to my mom about the weekend of the big game and I'll let you know if she's okay with it."

Michael walked her out to her car after she had said her goodnights to the rest of the family and she glanced at him when he rubbed his back absently.

"I didn't hurt you when I demonstrated that move, did I?"

"Not really; I didn't expect it, that's all." He was silent for a few minutes before lowering his gaze to look at her. "I know you said your mom was on some kinda girl power trip, but from my grandfather's description of her, I kinda thought that meant she was non-violent."

Maria nodded, understanding his assumption. "I know it sounds like it completely goes against what she believes in, but she was a single mother, abandoned by her husband, she's dated her fair share of guys who weren't that nice, and it seemed like every time she read a newspaper or turned the TV on, she was hearing about girls being kidnapped, murdered, or raped. I know my mom's an idealist who wants to change the world, but she's very aware of what's going on, she knows how dangerous it is out there. Do you know that a quarter of a million women are sexually assaulted each year? Or, that young women that are college-aged are four times more likely to be the victim of a sexual assault? Some high schools have even started offering self-defense classes for students who are entering college." She shook her head. "It's a reality, Michael," she said, her voice inflamed.

He looked at her, not sure what to say in response. He had never really paid much attention to what was happening in the world outside of his own family or the Rez unless it somehow affected them in some way. He monitored websites dedicated to UFO's and chased down sightings, but apart from that he spent his time on the Rez, in the desert, with Eddie, his family, or with a camera in his hand. _Was he that out of the loop?_ he wondered as Maria went on.

"I'm not a champion in martial arts or some female version of Bruce Lee. Actually, I wasn't all that good at it; I was distracted too easily and I hated all the training," she admitted. "I am so not into sports!"

"But, you've got a black belt," he protested.

Maria snorted, thinking about some of her past lessons and the nervous breakdown her instructor had nearly had while trying to teach her. "Well, my mom was really on my back about it, so I didn't have much of a choice. But now, I do know enough to defend myself; I could injure an attacker and get away to find help if the need ever arose. Judo isn't about violence, it's about defense… maybe I couldn't take down a guy bigger and stronger than me, but the element of surprise can be enough to save your life." She cleared her throat when she noticed Michael's dark look and she realized that she had spooked her alien boyfriend. "Hey, I can also scream bloody murder… loud enough to wake the dead; someone would hear me and help – "

"Yeah, right," Michael snorted. "Get real, Maria; you can't really believe that! Most people who hear someone screamin' for help are gonna turn an' run in the opposite direction. The only thing they're gonna be interested in is their own safety and stayin' uninvolved. The best thing you could hope for in that scenario is that someone'll call the cops. Y'know what kinda response time you could be lookin' at? Some bastard could rape and murder you while you're waitin' for some Good Samaritan to do the right thing."

"I'm not dismissing your concerns here, but I've learned some really good self-defense techniques; it's something every girl should learn. It's not just about learning specific moves; it's about learning how to use ordinary, everyday objects as a weapon if nothing else is available and…" She reached out to rub his arm, hoping to soothe him when she noticed his agitation; she hadn't expected him to be so upset over it. "Hey, don't worry, okay? They're techniques I may never have to use for anything but demonstrations."

"Yeah, well, you just made me think about stuff that I hadn't really thought about before now. Maggie's gonna be leavin' for college next year and after hearin' what you had to say… well, it kinda makes me worry. I've always protected her, but I might not go to the same college that she goes to, and who's gonna protect her then?"

"Maybe she could take a self-defense class; I'm sure if your school doesn't offer them there's probably a community program that does. I could even bring it up next time I see her… ask her if it's something she'd be interested in."

Michael glanced at her, relieved by her offer. "You'd do that?"

"Sure." Maria smiled. "And it'd probably be better coming from me anyway; she's been living with her overprotective brother for so long that she's liable to slam the door in your face if you start hassling her on that subject."

"Hmm, you might have a point there." He leaned back against the car beside her, his eyes on the full moon. "I'm sorry about my dad askin' questions about your dad earlier," he said, changing the subject.

"You don't have to apologize, Michael. He didn't know, and I really am okay. It can't have been any worse than getting your ass kicked by your girlfriend, right?" She tipped her head to the side to look at him. "You're not gonna try to say you let me take you down, are you?"

"No. I'd like to, but I'm not gonna say it." His gaze traveled over her moonlit features and he leaned back to study her.

"What?"

"Pose for me."

"Excuse me?"

"I'd like to photograph you, using the desert as a backdrop."

"Uh-huh." Her tone was disbelieving.

"I'm serious. I'm not suggesting anything indecent. At least think about it, okay?"

Maria studied him for several long minutes, reading the sincerity in his expression. "I'll think about it but I'm not promising anything."

"Fair enough." He turned and braced his left arm on the roof of the car as he leaned in close to her. "Tonight wasn't too bad, right? I mean, even though you had to go through the parental interrogation… it was okay?"

"It was great, Michael. Your family's amazing; you're lucky to have them."

He nodded. "Wanna meet a few more of 'em?"

"Of your family?" she asked for clarification.

"Yeah. There's a ceremony for one of my cousins next weekend; it starts on Friday evening at sundown and ends late Sunday afternoon. Everybody'll go over to my aunt's house for dinner and then spend the rest of the day just hangin' out." His right hand settled alongside her neck and his thumb stroked gently over the soft skin of her cheek. "I'd really like it if you could be there."

"I thought outsiders couldn't attend ceremonies?"

"Unless they've been invited."

Maria nodded. "Okay. Let me talk to my mom and I'll call you tomorrow to let you know what she says." She leaned forward, resting her weight against him as she reached up to trace her fingers over his chiseled features. She kissed him, taking the lead as she slid her hands over his shoulders to tangle in his hair. "Hmm," she murmured, a smile in her voice, "sweet and spicy."

"You talk too much," he growled. His hands settled on her hips and he pulled her body flush against him as he kissed her. His arms came around her, his intention to press her back against the car when she turned the tables on him and he found himself leaning back against the door in her place. It was ridiculously easy to ignore the door handle digging into his lower back when her right hand burrowed under his shirt in search of skin and he groaned when she finally made contact.

Maria pulled back to look up at him, watching him as she gently dragged her fingernails over his skin again. His eyes were feral, dark as night, and the emotions that chased over his features with each kiss, with each new touch, intrigued her and held her captive. She was unable to put her feelings into words, but as soon as he licked his lips any interest in words fled; the need to feel his mouth on hers was all-consuming.

Michael bit back a moan when her tongue began a dual with his and his hands tightened on her hips, tugging her tighter against him as he reversed their positions. He was shifting part of his attention to finding a way under her shirt when he became aware of someone clearing their throat behind him. He gentled the kiss and leaned back to look over his shoulder, groaning quietly when he saw his mother standing on the porch.

"Everything okay out here?" Catherine asked.

He struggled to control his breathing before attempting an answer. "Yeah, Mom, everything's good," Michael called, turning back to Maria.

"I don't think your mom's ready to let you go just yet," she whispered. "I should go."

He nodded and stepped back, reaching around her to open the door. "You'll call when you get home?"

Maria leaned in for one more quick kiss, conscious of his mother's watchful gaze. "I'll call."

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Alex rubbed his eyes as he leaned back in his chair, tired from staring at the computer screen for hours on end without making any progress whatsoever. He was starting to get frustrated by his lack of discovery of corresponding symbols despite the amount of research he had done, so he knew it was time to take a break.

He stood and stretched, wincing when he felt his joints pop from sitting too long and he reached for the television remote before throwing himself down on his bed. He squirmed around to get comfortable and scanned through the channels several times before he found something to watch.

He settled back and dropped the remote on the bed beside his hip, his gaze focusing on the drama unfolding on the screen. The agents on the show were searching for clues to some encrypted files while fighting their enemies and at times, each other. He watched it for a while, interested in the plot but quickly losing the battle with exhaustion. The female agent was just saying that she thought she recognized some of the symbols, and despite his attempt to make sense of the symbols on the screen, he finally lost the battle and his eyes slid closed.

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Maria's thoughts began to wander as she drove home and before long they had drifted into an area that she normally avoided. Her father was the one subject that she had a tendency to stay away from because the memories weren't pleasant and she didn't like to spend much time dwelling on them.

Until tonight, she hadn't really thought much about how many things she actually had in common with her father. She had never really gotten into all of the activist stuff her mother was involved in even though she agreed with most of it. She had always preferred to express herself through music or writing and for the first time, she realized that she had inherited her artistic side from her father.

It was something she had never given much thought to, but now that it had been acknowledged, she had to wonder what else her father had passed on to her. For most of her life she had credited her mother for her artistic tendencies, but now she was going to have to reevaluate her thinking.

She parked in front of her house and went inside, flipping a light switch on and leaning back against the door. She listened for any sounds that might indicate that her mother was home and after a few moments decided she was alone in the house.

In the kitchen she got a glass of juice and was reaching for the phone to call Michael when she noticed the piece of paper stuck to the refrigerator with a green alien magnet. She pulled the magnet off, holding the note in her hand while she examined the plastic alien. "Truth really is stranger than fiction," she mused aloud, sticking the magnet back on the refrigerator door so she could read the note.

"Maria, don't wait up; I'll see you at breakfast. Can't wait to hear how dinner went. Love, Mom." She shook her head as an image of the aromatherapy salesman came to mind, unwelcome and unwanted. She dropped the note on the counter and checked the door to make sure it was locked before going to her room so she could call Michael and let him know she had made it home safely.


	26. Chapter 26

**Part 26**

The next morning, Amy sat on the front porch watching the stars as they began to disappear from the sky, her breath misting on the early morning air. She pulled the denim jacket a little tighter around herself and contemplated the things she and Gabriel had talked about the night before.

She turned her head when she heard the screen door creak as it was pushed open and he stepped outside. He handed her a cup of coffee as he sat down on the top step, long legs bent at the knee and bracketing her body. His arms came around her loosely and he rested his chin on her head when she leaned back against his chest.

"I know you can't stay for breakfast but I thought you could at least have a cup of coffee before you go."

"No breakfast today," she agreed with a smile. "I told Maria we'd have breakfast together so she could tell me about dinner with Michael's family. It's strange but I think we've talked more about things we normally don't talk about since she started seeing him."

"So maybe she'd be open to you and me bein' together."

"I don't think Maria's gonna have any problems with you, Gabriel. My concern is that she's suddenly becoming open to talking about certain things because she's not talking to Liz or Alex anymore."

"Or maybe she's grown up enough that she's ready to really talk to you about those certain things."

"I think it has more to do with not having anyone to talk to."

"Since she's been opening up about the guy in her life, why haven't you told her about me? You've already said you think she'd be open to us bein' together, so what's keepin' you from tellin' her?"

Amy sighed. Gabriel wasn't wrong to want Maria to know about them, but she had a feeling that now wasn't the time. Soon, but not right now; the timing was all wrong. "Right now she's feeling abandoned by her friends and she already had abandonment issues because of her father, so I don't want to compound it by introducing you and having her think I'm gonna leave her too." She took a sip of the coffee before continuing with her thoughts. "I've made some bad decisions with the men in my life, Gabriel, and Maria's been there for the fallout every time; I just don't want her to think this is a repeat of all those other times."

"You tryin' to scare me off again?" he teased quietly. She had told him about all of her disastrous attempts at relationships, but he was confident that they were going to work. "Amy, she's practically an adult. Talk to her like one and trust her to deal with the situation in a mature way." He paused and watched the fingers of her left hand as they tapped against the rim of the cup. "Is this really about Maria or are you just not ready to make a commitment? Maybe I'm pushin' too hard for an answer to too many questions at once, but I know exactly what I want and unless you tell me differently, I'm gonna keep askin'."

She smiled at the hint of impatience underlying his words. "I'm not telling you to stop, but it's a big step and I've got some things I need to work out personally before I give you an answer." Her hand came up to curl around his neck when he dropped his forehead down to rest on her shoulder. "Just be patient, Gabriel."

"You know you're killin' me, right?" he groaned. He lifted his head a short while later and watched the first rays of sunlight creep over the horizon. "Okay, we'd better get movin'; you've gotta get home for breakfast and I've gotta finish packin' for the show this weekend."

Amy accepted his hand when he held it out to her, allowing him to pull her to her feet and lead her back inside.

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Maria stumbled along the hall, making her way to the shower with slightly uncoordinated movements. She wasn't the type of person who jumped out of bed wide awake and ready to face the day, but a hot shower always helped to ease the process along. She flipped the light switch on and was just about to reach for the faucets when a thought occurred to her and she backtracked halfway down the hall to look into her mother's room. She frowned at the neatly made bed, knowing that it meant her mother hadn't slept at home the night before.

Unbidden, an image of the aromatherapy salesman came to mind and she shuddered. Her mother could do so much better than Howard, but apparently she needed to be made aware of that little fact. And it looked like Maria was going to have to be the one to provide the wake-up call.

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Amy was humming along with the song on the radio despite her inability to carry a tune, and making breakfast when Maria entered the kitchen nearly an hour later. She frowned when her mother didn't notice her arrival and continued to hum the same song even after a new one replaced it.

Watching her mother's absent-minded behavior she was surprised the older woman hadn't set the house on fire yet. "So, you must've gotten home pretty late last night, Mom."

"Oh, Maria, honey, I didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah, I didn't hear you come in either. Get home late?"

"What? Yes. No." She blushed and fanned herself as she turned back to the stove. "It's so warm in here."

Maria frowned when she noticed that her mother was uncomfortable. The woman was never uncomfortable, which meant that she felt guilty about something. _What could it be?_ she wondered. She was determined to get an answer. If her suspicions were correct, she had to talk to her mother and make her understand that Howard was not good for her. "So, you did get home late?"

Amy tugged at her ends of her hair, feeling uneasy. In front of her own daughter! The world was obviously coming to an end. She really felt like _she_ was the daughter and Maria was the mother. Somehow, that thought saddened her. _Had she turned her daughter into an adult too soon? Had she stolen the last years of Maria's youth with her way of life, with the way she had decided to raise her daughter? She had wanted her to be aware of the world around her, to be a part of it, to be active and reactive, but had she gone too far? Had she succeeded too well?_ "Uh, why don't you set the table." Amy couldn't believe the turn the conversation had taken. This was why they had a don't-ask-don't-tell policy in place – to avoid this type of awkward conversation.

Maria sighed. Her mother still wasn't ready to talk to her about the changes taking place in her personal life. "Can I just say one thing, Mom?"

"Okay."

"If you're this serious about Howard, I'll find a way to deal with it, but I just think you can do a lot better. That's all I'm gonna say."

Amy set two plates on the table and poured a couple glasses of juice before sitting down across from her daughter. They started to eat in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Amy glanced at her daughter, surprised that she had remained so quiet for so long. "How was dinner with Michael's family?"

"It was nice and his family's great…" Maria hesitated, not quite sure how to explain what she was feeling.

"But?" Amy prompted when Maria hesitated.

"But, I'm not sure what his mom really thinks of me. They adopted Michael when he was six…" She reached for the jelly and started to spread it on her toast. "Well, I assume they adopted him, he's never really said. Anyway, that's not my point. It's important to him to find out where he came from, y'know? He wants to know how his family could just leave him in the desert and I think he has every right to ask those questions and to pursue the answers."

"Which you encouraged him to do," Amy guessed.

Maria slammed her glass down on the table with more force than necessary. "He deserves to know the truth! He knows that he might not like what he finds, but if nothing else, he needs that closure, Mom." She sighed and bit into her toast, chewing thoughtfully as she slouched down. "I don't think his mom liked it when I told him we'd find the answers."

_I'll just bet she didn't!_ Amy thought. _She doesn't want you to push Michael to look for his family and find his real parents; it would disrupt her perfect family_. She grimaced when she realized how her uncharitable her thoughts were. Catherine was a mother, so she could understand the woman's position. "Well, she's his mother, honey, and we've already established that she's very protective of him. She isn't going to be very happy about you encouraging him to go after something that may end up hurting him in the end."

"But he wants – "

"It doesn't matter how much he wants to find these answers." She shook her head when Maria started to protest. "Not because she doesn't care about him or the answers he wants to find, but because she doesn't want him to get hurt. No matter how unrealistic it is, a parent will always want to protect their child, even if it means keeping them from pursuing something that they want."

Maria huffed angrily. _She hadn't done anything wrong!_ "He's been looking for answers for the past couple of years, Mom! Why does my being involved make me a threat?"

"Because you're moving into a territory that has belonged to her exclusively since he came into her life." She smiled at the look of confusion on Maria's face. "You'll understand one day when you have children of your own."

_In a far off future._ Maria easily heard her mother's unspoken words, knowing that she wasn't anywhere close to being ready to understand mothers or their methods of reasoning. "He's been looking for answers; it's not like he suddenly came up with the idea after we met."

"Has he found anything? Has he found any of his biological family?"

"No, but his parents haven't objected to him searching for them before."

Amy was insistent, firing off more questions. "And who's been encouraging him to keep looking? Who's been telling him that they would help him find the answers?"

"No one that I know of."

Amy took a drink of her juice and leaned back to study her daughter. "Michael's mother is being faced with the reality of losing her son and that's not an easy reality to face. He may have been conducting this search on his own, and maybe his parents haven't done anything to prevent it, but it also sounds like they weren't actively encouraging him to search for these answers that he wants. But now he's suddenly involved with a young woman who believes in him, who's encouraging him to go after these answers, who's slowly taking him away from the woman who raised him."

"God, Mom, you make it sound like I'm in competition with his mother," Maria complained.

"Well, in a way you are. From what you've told me about Michael, I'm sure that his family is important to him, but his mother only sees the possibility of another family coming between her family and her son. And you're the one responsible for this threat."

"Great." Maria crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not backing down on this though. I believe that he needs to find these answers if he's ever going to be able to have any peace."

"You have to do what you think is right, honey, but I think you can expect to encounter more resistance from his mother. Did she say anything to you about it?"

"No." She sighed. "She wasn't mean or anything, y'know? She was really nice… I just got the feeling that she's questioning whether or not Michael should be with me."

"Don't let it worry you, honey; she'll come around."

"Michael's father was much easier to read and I think he's on our side."

"And Maggie?"

Maria laughed. "She'll be happy as long as I can keep her brother occupied so that he doesn't threaten the guy she wants to ask her to the dance that's coming up."

Amy smiled. She liked what she was hearing; Michael was a good guy, so she really didn't have anything to fear with him around to protect _his_ girls. "He's the overprotective older brother, huh?"

"All the way. He invited me out to the Rez next weekend for a ceremony but I told him I'd have to ask you about it and let him know. Actually, I told Maggie the same thing about the big Roswell/Ruidoso game in three weeks. They're both overnight trips and I didn't know how you'd feel about that. Well, actually the ceremony starts on Friday night and I wouldn't be back until late Sunday afternoon or early that evening."

"You'll be able to get the time off from work?"

"I should be able to." Maria nodded. "Yeah."

Amy considered Maria's request for several minutes, debating the pros and cons of letting her only daughter spend the night with her boyfriend's family. She had only talked with them for a little while and she didn't know them very well, but knowing how protective the young man's mother was, she decided she was comfortable with Maria staying with them. She wouldn't have to worry about anything happening between Maria and Michael with Catherine there. From everything her daughter had said, she knew the woman would keep a close eye on the teenagers.

"All right, you can go." She pushed her plate back and rested her arms on the table. "So, do the two of you have a lot in common?"

"Michael is the photographer for his school paper." She looked down at the table and smiled. "He's been into photography for a few years now… he asked me to pose for him."

Amy stilled for a second, not quite believing what she was hearing. "Excuse me?"

Maria repeated her previous statement in a patient tone, as if talking to a small child. "He asked me to pose for him. He wants to – "

"I have a perfectly good idea of what he wants to do." Amy shook her head, certain that the boy had nefarious plans for her daughter. She retracted her last thought; _she had MUCH TO WORRY ABOUT with this… this… Michael Guerin!!_

"Mom, I can tell you've got some idea of what Michael's planning and you couldn't be more wrong. This is not some plan for him to get me out of my clothes; he just wants to take some photographs of me in the desert." _Mothers would always be mothers! Amy had probably posed naked and done other crazy things in her youth… things Maria really didn't want to think about, especially in regards to her own mother!_ But the thought – even if it was a wrong one – of her daughter imitating her actions sent her into a frenzy of suspicious thoughts. _Figures,_ Maria huffed. _Do what I say, not what I do. Or in my dear mother's case, not what I've done!! _

"You've already decided to do it."

"No, I told him I'd think about it, but honestly, I'm a little bit nervous about it," she admitted.

"You shouldn't be. I'll bet you'd realize how comfortable you are in front of the camera before he had taken a dozen pictures." She smiled at a memory. "Your father used to paint your portrait all the time when you were a little girl."

They never talked about the man who had walked out on them out of some unspoken agreement. They looked at each other as a lengthy silence fell over the room and Maria was the first to break it.

"Have you ever heard from him?"

Amy shook her head. "No, I never spoke to him again after he left."

Maria chewed on her lips, as another question popped up in her mind. _What would she do if her mother answered it positively? Would she be ready to move to the next level, to take the next step to find answers?_ "Is there anyone that he would've kept in contact with?"

"Not that I know of." She watched her daughter closely, wondering if being around her boyfriend's family was the reason behind the sudden questions. "Your dad left most of his paintings here, Maria; they're in the attic with some other things he left behind if you wanna look at them."

Maria polished the table with the palms of her hands, her expression distant as she considered her mother's statement. "Maybe… someday."

"Well, let me get the dishes washed so I can get ready for work."

Maria watched her mother for a moment, finally deciding to tell her what was on her mind, about the older DeLuca woman's romantic life. "Mom?"

Amy sat back down at her daughter's serious tone. "What is it, honey?"

"I just… Are you happy? I mean, with Howard; are you happy with him?"

"Maria – "

She shook her head, fully intending to make her mother understand her point of view. "No, it's just that I'll be graduating next year and at some point, I'll be going away to college. I don't want you to be alone when that time comes, and while I think you could really do so much better than Howard…" Maria bit her bottom lip for several moments before looking directly at her mother. "Please tell me you're not planning to spend the rest of your life with Howard."

"No, Maria, I have no such plans."

"Thank God," she muttered. "I just want you to be happy, Mom. I want you to have someone who really means something to you… I don't want you to be alone." She hugged her mother and set the dishes in the sink. "Promise me that you'll think about it, okay?"

"Promise."

"And, while I realize we've violated all rules in our don't-ask-don't-tell policy, I feel that I have to ask where you were last night."

"Let's just say that I was with someone who wasn't Howard and leave it at that for now."

_Not Howard? That was good news._ Maria started to smile, but quickly realized what that meant. _Wait… not Howard? Then who was he?_ "Someone you might be spending more time with in the future?"

Amy chuckled at her daughter's persistence. "Maria, you're gonna be late for school if you keep hanging around here digging for information I'm not ready to share yet."

"Fine," Maria huffed. "I'll be home late tonight; I'm closing at work."

"Are you working tomorrow?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm working all weekend; it was the only way for Mr. Parker to rearrange my schedule so I'd be off last night."

"Will you be closing all weekend?"

"Yeah." She shrugged. "It's okay though, I didn't have any other plans. I'm gonna go get ready, Mom. Do you need the car today?"

"Um-hmm. So if you hurry I can drop you off and you won't have to walk." She smiled when Maria hurried out of the room and before long her mind began to wander back to her own situation.


	27. Chapter 27

**Part 27 **

Maria sat on the stool at the end of the counter and watched the activity going on around her. It had been busier than normal for a Friday night, but the worst of the rush seemed to be over and she had finally been able to sit down for a few minutes. She had five minutes left on her break but she had decided to just stay where she was.

"And you're sure I look okay?"

She turned just enough to watch Liz come from the back of the restaurant with Alex trailing behind her.

"Liz, I've told you half a dozen times that you look fine. You're obsessing over nothin'; you could be wearin' a pair of raggedy sweats and Max Evans would still think you're the most beautiful thing he's ever seen."

_She was supposed to be the one handing out encouragement and providing support before a big date, _Maria thought resentfully. _Seriously, what did Alex know about helping someone get ready for a date? Had he ever even been on a date?_ She winced at that and shook her head. _That was mean, Maria,_ she chastised herself. She had tried her best not to be bitter about the distance that her friends had created between them and her, but sometimes she couldn't help it. She tuned back into their conversation when Alex nudged Liz with his elbow.

"About that rumor I heard at school today… you never did confirm or deny whether you and Max almost got caught in the eraser room."

From her vantage point, hidden in the corner, Maria saw the blush that flooded the brunette's cheeks at his words and her own eyebrows rose in surprise.

"I don't think we need to share that information with the entire restaurant," Liz said, glancing around to be sure her parents hadn't overheard Alex's comment.

"So, it is true." His voice was tinged with amusement as he followed her to one of the booths and sat down across from her.

They had moved far enough away that their conversation could no longer be distinguished from the others in the restaurant. _Was Michael right? _she wondered. _Was Liz's relationship with Max intimate enough that she felt she had to hide it? To protect it? No, that couldn't be it. It didn't explain why Liz would shut her out and lie to her; they had told each other everything since day one. She might lie to her parents if it meant protecting her relationship with her boyfriend, but why lie to her best friend? _That didn't make any sense.

Her attention was drawn to the door when the bell above it jingled and she watched her replacements as they joined Liz and Alex. She felt a pang of sadness, of loneliness, as the group spent a few minutes together before Liz and Max stood up, their joined hands swinging between them, making last-minute conversation before leaving.

It wasn't all that long ago that she would've been helping Liz get ready for her date, and afterwards they would've spent hours on the phone going over every detail. _How ironic,_ she mused. Now that she had Michael in her life and she was just bursting with things to talk about, her best friend was no longer available. Maria sighed and stood to stretch before going back to work, knowing without looking at her watch that break time was over.

Liz looked around when the short-order cook called for an order pickup and her gaze followed Maria as she bantered with the man before taking the plates and carrying them out to customers waiting at the counter. The distance that separated them was growing with each day that passed and she wished she could do something to stop it, but she knew Maria, and the other girl wasn't going to accept anything less than the truth. She had been kept in the dark, lied to, and put in a position where she probably thought that their new friends had taken her place and they no longer had time for her. She wanted to tell Maria the truth, but she had already put Max and Isabel in an uncomfortable position by revealing their secret to Alex. They hadn't wanted anyone else to know, but Max had accepted that Alex knew the secret once he understood that she hadn't had much choice in the matter. Telling someone else, even Maria, wasn't an option at this point; she had chosen Max over Maria, and it was a choice that she had to live with now.

Alex reached out and tugged on her jacket when he saw the desolate expression on her face as she watched Maria. He knew where her mind was, knew from his own experience that what they had done to their friend was wrong and as much as it was hurting them, it had to be even worse for her. He could see that Liz wanted to go to Maria, to talk to her, but at this point there was nothing either of them could say that would make it any better. He shook his head when she finally looked at him and she nodded sadly before glancing at Maria once more.

Liz sighed regretfully, knowing that Alex was right. She knew the only thing that she could say that might fix things between them was the truth, and it was the one thing that she couldn't say. She also knew that attempting to talk to Maria in a public place, especially her parents' restaurant, would be a mistake because chances were good that Maria would be angry and hurt, and they would only end up arguing. She forced the thoughts away when Max tugged on her hand and asked if she was ready, determined to have a good time despite the inner turmoil she was experiencing.

Maria turned her head to watch them as they left, surprised that they hadn't all left together. _Oh, well, at least she had been spared having to wait on Alex and the Ice Queen since they weren't sitting in her section._ She wondered if they were doing homework when he pulled a notebook out of his backpack, opening it up before placing it on the table between them. _Maybe not homework, _she thought when Alice, the other waitress on duty, stopped to take their order and Alex closed the notebook. He didn't so much as blink when Isabel pulled it towards her and rested her forearms on it protectively.

Maria shook her head at their odd behavior and went back to work, focusing her thoughts on Michael and the upcoming weekend.

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Liz unlocked the front door of the Crashdown and locked the door behind her before crossing the empty dining room. The restaurant was always so quiet after closing, the silence a direct contrast to the constant noise during business hours. She was reaching out to push the swinging door that led to the employees' lounge and the staircase to her family's upstairs apartment when it swung outward.

She just barely kept from screaming at the unexpected appearance of another person and it took a moment to realize that Maria must have been the one to pull closing duty. She had been so busy getting ready for her date that she hadn't even bothered to check to see who was scheduled to work the closing shift.

Maria froze when she and Liz came face to face, her hand shooting out automatically to stop the door from swinging back and hitting her. She moved out of the way and dropped her hand, and the door quietly swished as it swung back into its resting place. She stood there waiting for the other girl to speak, but after several minutes of awkward silence, she decided that maybe there was nothing to be said.

Liz knew the exact moment Maria came to the conclusion that the only thing to do was to walk away. "I… I um…" She cleared her throat to start again. "I mean… I didn't know you were working tonight."

"Yeah, well, looks like there's a lot we don't know about each other anymore."

"Maria, I – " She looked around at the tables surrounding them, wondering how many nights they had spent handling closing duties together, turning the music up and goofing off while they worked. They had practically spent their entire lives in each other's back pockets and now they couldn't even make small talk.

"You should probably get upstairs." Maria could feel the bitter feelings from earlier rise to the surface and she attempted to push them back down into that deep, dark place where they normally hid, but they were becoming too difficult to contain. _How was it they had been friends their whole lives, shared what seemed like every single thought, secret, disappointment, achievement, and dream, and now they had been reduced to something as trivial as familiar strangers?_ "Alex is probably waiting for you to call so you can tell him how your date went."

Liz sighed at the snarky comment. She couldn't say it was exactly unexpected; Maria tended to get cranky after a long day and without something to redirect her mood it was bound to be released on whoever crossed her path the wrong way.

"You're tired, Maria; maybe we should just go our separate ways before we say things that we'll regret later."

"For the first time in weeks I agree with you, Liz. Going our separate ways sounds like a good idea." She walked past the other girl without another word, unlocking the door and shoving it open. She started to keep walking but her conscience made her turn around and lock the door before continuing to her car.

The drive home only took a few minutes and when she got inside she made as little noise as possible so she wouldn't wake her mother. The older woman had been distracted since her date with the mystery man and Maria wondered what was on her mind. She knew if it was something that her mother wanted to discuss, she would be the one to bring it up and so far she had kept whatever was bothering her to herself.

After a quick shower, she settled down in her room and turned the television on in hopes of finding something to watch that would take her mind off of her unexpected meeting with Liz. She flopped down on her bed, hugging the faded, stuffed purple alien she had been carrying around since it had been given to her on her fourth birthday, while flipping through the stations looking for anything besides infomercials and twenty-four hour newscasts.

She turned her head to the side when her cell phone hummed loudly as it vibrated on the nightstand. Picking it up, she idly glanced at the display before flipping it open and putting it up to her ear. She didn't bother trying to hide the smile in her voice when she greeted her late-night caller. This was much better than some mindless television show.

"Figured you'd had enough time to get home and get settled in," Michael's voice rasped. "How'd your night go?"

"It was fine." She wiggled around to get comfortable and turned the TV off, the darkness making it seem like he was right there with her.

"Uh-huh, try again."

"Seriously, Michael, it was fine."

"Seriously, Maria," he mocked, "I can hear it in your voice. What happened?"

"It wasn't…" She sighed, knowing he wasn't going to let it go. "Liz and Alex were at the Crashdown with Max and Isabel about halfway through my shift and then I ran into Liz as I was leaving a while ago. We got into an argument… well, it wasn't really much of an argument, but…"

Seventy miles away Michael could feel his blood begin to boil at the pain he could hear in her voice. Her _friends_ needed a lesson in the art of friendship and he would love to be the one to educate them. "Maria, I know that their behavior hasn't been easy to deal with, but you've gotta know that whatever their reasoning is, it has nothin' to do with you. Whatever's made them act this way is on them – "

"Tell me about your dog," she interrupted.

"What?"

"Your dog… the one you had when you were a kid; tell me about him."

"You wanna know about my dog now?" Silence greeted him, but her breathing sounded off and the thought that she was either crying or trying not to cry because of her friends prompted him to start talking. "Rath was a Golden Retriever who was gentle as a lamb and liked to get into trouble."

"You named your dog Wrath?"

"His name was spelled R-a-t-h, but yeah, that's what I named him."

"Isn't that kind of an odd name for a dog?"

"Probably, but it was a word that seemed somehow familiar, like I had some sort of connection to it. I didn't know why back then and I don't know why now, but since I did feel an attachment to it, that's what I named my dog."

"You have pictures of you and Rath?"

"Um-hmm. I've got a ton of 'em; I had that dog until I was fifteen. He loved to chase rabbits, squirrels, prairie dogs… stupid dog would chase just about anything even though he wouldn't have had a single clue what to do with it if he'd caught it."

Maria listened to him talk about his pet and grew drowsy as his gruff voice carried over the line making her feel safe and warm. She forgot all about the problems she was having with her friends as her eyes started to slide closed.

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Isabel parked in front of Alex's house and took a deep breath before getting out and walking up to the front door. They hadn't made arrangements to get together today but she had decided that they hadn't made enough progress on the translation. She changed direction before she reached the porch, the sound of music drawing her attention to the side of the house.

She jerked back out of sight when she realized that Alex had company. There were three other guys playing various instruments, following Alex's lead as he moved from one song to the next. _They needed someone on vocals but instrumentally, they sounded pretty good,_ she thought as she watched them.

After a while their practice ended and the conversation picked up as they put their instruments away.

Alex looked up when Nicky and Marcos started going back and forth with a whispered argument. "What're you two fightin' about?" he asked, not really concerned. It was something they did when they wanted an answer to a question but neither of them was willing to be the one to voice it.

"They wanna know what's goin' on with you an' the Ice Queen," Chris answered for them as he shoved his drumsticks in his back pocket.

"What?"

"The Ice Queen… Isabel Evans? Come on, man, the two of you have been seen together a couple of times recently but you haven't mentioned it once. They're just wonderin' why that is."

Alex covered his surprise at the question and shrugged carelessly. "First, don't call her that. And second, why would I mention it?"

"Dude, half the guys at school have been tryin' to get a piece of that – "

"Watch your mouth," Alex warned, his tone low and dangerous.

"Hey, chill out, man," Chris said, holding his hands up in defense. "Look, I understand and no one's faultin' you for hangin' with the Ice Queen. I mean, given half a chance I'd take a shot at her – "

"Take off, Chris," Alex ordered as he stood and faced the drummer. "And don't come back until you can keep your thoughts to yourself."

"Hey, you guys cool off," Nicky insisted, stepping between them. "Alex, man, y'know Chris runs his mouth without thinkin'."

"Yeah," Marcos chimed in, "he's just jealous cuz you spent Friday night with the hottest blonde in school and he spent the night babysitting his little brother."

"Well, why're you guys hangin' out if it's not for…" Chris shrugged helplessly. "Y'know… sex."

Alex took a couple of steps back and held his arms open wide. "Do you seriously think that Isabel Evans is the slightest bit interested in me? She's Isabel Evans, the most beautiful girl in school who can have her pick of any guy she wants and trust me when I tell you I'm not on that list." He lowered his arms and shook his head. "We've got several classes together and we've been helpin' each other out with a History project because the teacher put us together for it – it's nothin' more than that. People are gonna talk because they obviously have nothin' better to do, and that's fine; I could care less. But if any of you guys intend to spread rumors or make rude comments about Isabel, you can just leave now and we'll start lookin' for your replacement."

"Nah, man, we're cool."

As soon as the guys had taken off Alex lowered the garage door, locking it before making his way into the house. He was on his way to the kitchen for a snack when the doorbell rang so he changed directions and headed to the front door. He hid his shock when he saw Isabel standing on the porch, opening the door and motioning for her to step inside.

"Have you found anything yet?" she asked without preamble.

"Hello to you too, Isabel." He closed the door and went into the kitchen, aware that she was following him. "No, I haven't found anything yet; I told you that I do have a life outside of my extracurricular extraterrestrial activities. Wednesday nights are the one night that my parents go out so the guys and I meet up here for practice – "

"Okay, Alex? I'm not interested in your sad social life; have you done any work at all on the translation?" Her fingers drummed out a staccato rhythm on the countertop as she waited impatiently for an answer. She was irritated by the feelings that had come over her when she had seen Alex stand up to his friends in her defense. She had felt ashamed when he had so easily dismissed himself as someone she would ever be interested in, but she had quickly shoved those feelings aside because he was right. She had ignored the hurt that had surfaced when one of the boys had called her the Ice Queen, well aware that the title had followed her since the ninth grade. It was hard to form any kind of lasting relationships when you couldn't tell people the truth about yourself so she had never had a real friend.

Alex rolled his eyes as he pulled a couple of sodas out of the refrigerator and turned back to face her. "Y'know, you have an interesting way of showing gratitude."

"What exactly do I have to be grateful for?" she fired back. "Have you translated something that I'm unaware of?" She would never admit it but she enjoyed spending time with Alex. He was the complete opposite of any other guy she had ever been around; he was honest, he treated her like what she thought and said really mattered, and he never talked to her like she was incapable of participating in an intelligent conversation.

"No, I haven't been able to decode the letter yet." He got a glass down from a cabinet, filled it with ice and poured one of the sodas into it. "I've been workin' on it and I feel like it's familiar but I haven't been able to figure out why." He slid the drink across the counter to her and turned back to rummage through the refrigerator, emerging a few moments later to place a small bottle of Tabasco sauce beside her glass.

"What's that for?" she asked warily.

"Liz explained the sweet and spicy thing." He shrugged. "You may have to hide things like that around everyone else, but you don't have to worry about bein' yourself around me. Don't hide who you are or apologize for it, Isabel; especially not when it's just us."

Isabel studied his sincere expression and felt herself wavering but she caught herself before she allowed his persuasive words to weaken her resolve. "We should work on the letter."

"Okay." Alex nodded and bit back a smile. "I'll go get the stuff out. You know where I'll be when you get done mixing your drink," he called over his shoulder as he left the room.


	28. Chapter 28

**Part 28**

Isabel watched him leave and waited for a full minute before she reached for the bottle of hot sauce, uncapping it and sprinkling some into her soda.

Alex didn't comment when she joined him several minutes later, keeping his eyes focused on the letter displayed on the monitor. Normally, she hung over his shoulder questioning every single thing he did so when he realized she was moving around the room looking at his things, he turned to look at her. Isabel was a very self-contained individual and the restlessness she was displaying was out of character for her.

Isabel's dark eyes scanned over the shelves, barely touching on the many photographs of Alex with Liz and Maria. She moved in closer to look at the ticket stubs tacked to a rectangular cork board mounted to the wall; she recognized most of the band names from the concerts he had been to but she doubted she could pick any of their music out.

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise when she came across some events that were unexpected. "You've been to the ballet?"

He shrugged. "The girls were goin' through a phase last year and they decided we needed more culture in our lives; art museums, a couple of plays, one opera, and the ballet."

"You have tickets for the Nutcracker in December," she observed.

"I bought 'em a couple months ago when they went on sale; they really enjoyed it last year and they made sure I knew they wanted to go again."

"So you like the ballet?" 

"Well, it was better than I expected. Although I think they could've come up with a better name for that one, and I could really live without the guys bein' in tights."

"Hmm, I suppose Maria won't be going now."

"I hope we can find a way to work things out before then."

Isabel made a non-committal sound and moved on to the next set of shelves. Her eyes raked over the DVD's lined up on the shelves and she shook her head in disbelief. "You've gotta be kidding me," she muttered.

Alex leaned back in his chair and waited for her to comment on his movie collection. He knew it was coming – she wouldn't be able to hold it in for very long.

"How can you watch this stuff?"

"It's entertaining. It's also a bunch of costumed people and special effects combined with clever storylines."

Isabel huffed, irritated. _How could he defend those movies, knowing what he knew about aliens? She was an alien and she didn't have any plans to take over the world, like in those Hollywood shows._ "They always make aliens the enemy and they spend two hours hunting them down to exterminate them or experiment on them." She didn't bother trying to hide her disdain.

"Yeah," he agreed, "a lot of them do that."

_Ha, yeah, right! She wasn't stupid or ignorant. She knew what those movies were really about. The big, bad, superior aliens coming to invade Earth… as if anyone would want the polluted dump of a planet… dream on! And, of course, don't forget the nice, but inferior humans who always succeeded in kicking their asses to save their precious planet._ "They always do that. The aliens are always evil and look like monsters."

"Not always. E.T. wasn't evil."

Isabel rolled her eyes. _E.T. He looked like a little monster, all short and… well, short and wrinkled and ugly. Even if he was a nice little alien, the humans in the movie didn't think of him as a nice little pet the first time they saw him. They thought "oh, my god, call the army, there's a evil creature from outer space in my backyard!_ But all she said was, "He was creepy looking."

"Okay, that's a new argument; most girls think he's cute."

"Um-hmm, and excluding present company, how many girls do you know who are alien?"

"Okay."

"Even if the aliens in the movie aren't evil, the humans are always trying to…"

Alex had to interrupt her at that point. He was a self-proclaimed expert on alien movies and it was obvious that Isabel didn't know as much as she thought about sci-fi. "Isabel, even if the humans in the movies are always trying to hunt the aliens down, there is also – if the aliens in the movie are good – there is also always a group of humans who are trying to prevent the aliens from bein' captured."

She pulled one of the movies out and held it up. "They're always hunting aliens in this show."

Alex stood up and took the movie from her. "Look, have you ever even watched the X-Files? Yes, there were aliens involved in the storyline, but the show was much bigger than that. They've incorporated so many different levels into it; there's an entire mythology that's been introduced including Native…" His eyes widened and he stared at the plastic case in his hand. "We've gotta go."

"What? Go where?" Isabel asked, frowning at his odd behavior. She had no choice but to follow him when he hurried out of the room. "Alex, where are we going?"

Alex grabbed his keys off of the kitchen table and turned to look at her. "You'd never believe me if I told you. I need to run to the movie rental place to rent the X-Files."

"But you already have it."

"I'm lookin' for a specific episode." He shook his head. "It'll be faster if we just go get it and come back here."

"Okay." She didn't sound convinced but since it was a Wednesday and there was little possibility of her being seen in public with him she decided to go along.

The store was only a few minutes from where he lived and his mind was obviously occupied with whatever thought he'd had because he didn't say a word as they drove the short distance. Once inside, he headed straight for the Science Fiction section and she wandered over to look at the new releases displayed on the back wall.

"Isabel, what're you doing here?"

She turned and winced inwardly when she saw Mandy Jeffries and Lisa Sanford coming towards her. It was the same two girls who had discovered her talking to Alex in the hall not long ago; being caught out with him one time could be explained away, but twice? That was pushing it. It would be all over school by morning and the last thing she wanted was to be in the spotlight with Alex Whitman.

"You're not here with _him_, are you?" Lisa asked, her words dripping with disdain.

Isabel opened her mouth to defend him, but the words wouldn't come out. He didn't deserve to be talked about the way they talked about him, and deep inside she was ashamed of herself for not being strong enough to stand up to them and defend him.

"Yeah, Isabel," Mandy spoke up, "you know how important image is to us. Seriously, after the way he talked to you the last time?"

"Isabel, I've got it," Alex called, holding up a plastic case.

_Oh my God, this is going to be even worse than I had imagined. They're going to think I'm spending time with Alex watching geek shows. _

"They only had one copy of that documentary about World War II, but we're in luck." He grinned. "I guess no one else in our History class chose that time frame for their project, huh?"

Isabel stared at the case he held out to her, surprised to see a battle scene depicted on the front instead of some alien image. "Um, yeah, lucky." She looked at her friends and smiled brightly. "Well, we've gotta go." She waved the case at them. "Homework to do."

Several minutes later, she collapsed in the front seat beside Alex. "How did you do that?"

"Easy. The guy workin' tonight is in my Economics class and when I saw your friends headin' your way, I took our real rental up and asked him to hold it for me while I ran interference for you." He shrugged and started the car. "I could tell that you had been cornered and they wanted to know if we were there together. I couldn't just leave so they'd think it was just a coincidence we were both there at the same time, and there was no reason to completely ruin your reputation, right?"

Isabel was silent as they drove back to his house. He was right; she hadn't wanted her friends to know that she and Alex were there together, but it sounded so much worse when he said it out loud. She wondered why he had really bothered to carry out the charade, covering by acting like they were working on a homework assignment together. It was the same lie he had told to his own friends. He hadn't even known she was there and he'd had the perfect opportunity to turn the random sightings of them out together into something sordid, but he hadn't. Any other guy put in that position with his friends would have quickly turned things around so it seemed like there was something going on, but not Alex. It was like he was protecting her image and her reputation when he had the chance to tarnish it and make a reputation for himself. He was confusing and she didn't understand him at all.

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Mandy stared after Isabel as she walked out of the store with Alex Whitman of all people. She had heard the rumors of course, but she hadn't believed them. There had to be some other explanation besides homework for one of West Roswell High's most elite to be seen with someone so low on the social chain.

"There has to be something else going on," Lisa said, drawing the other girl out of her thoughts. "No way she's hanging around with him for that reason."

"Obviously. But she's not talking, so how do we find out?"

"Let's talk to Brad."

"Ooh, good idea," Mandy agreed.

Brad was Lisa's boyfriend and the captain of the football team. If anyone could get an answer it would be him.

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Back in his room once more, Alex slid the DVD into place and hit the play button on the remote before sitting in his desk chair. "I can't believe I forgot all about this," he said excitedly. "It's right here, Isabel, I'm tellin' you."

Isabel watched him scan through the credits to get to the show itself. The incident at the store had already been forgotten in his pursuit of some answer he was sure he had discovered. She envied his ability to be who he was without worrying about what other people thought about him.

"C'mon, watch this, it's a good episode."

She pulled the other chair over and sat down, reluctantly drawn into the show within just a matter of minutes. Part of the way into it, her eyebrows shot up and she turned to look at him. "She thinks he killed his father?"

"No, she took his gun to prove that he didn't," Alex explained.

They watched for a while longer before she spoke up again.

"She just shot her partner!"

Alex smirked. _Did she have any idea how indignant she sounded?_ "She had to, he was about to kill Krycek, with Krycek's gun, and then how would they have proved that he didn't kill his father?"

"Hmm." It wasn't until near the end of the episode that Isabel became aware of why Alex had chosen this particular episode to watch. "The code in the letter," she whispered. "You think it's the same one that was used in the show… you think it's Navajo."

"Yep, but I also think it's written in the same code that code talkers used, and it's impossible to translate unless you know someone who speaks the language."

"And we don't know anyone like that, do we?" she asked, disappointed.

"Not yet, we don't."

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Michael sat in the bleachers, his attention focused on the open textbook he held balanced on his knees. He had asked his teachers for his homework a day early because the ceremony for his cousin was going to take most of the weekend and he didn't want to be sitting up late Sunday night trying to get it finished.

He hadn't intended to stay after school but he had an ulterior motive for hanging out at the girls' basketball practice. Thanks to a conversation he had overheard between his sister and Christina, he had discovered that Linda was going to be out of town all weekend with her family. Which meant that her jeep would be sitting at home all weekend when he could put it to much better use.

He looked up, his gaze glancing over the different groups on the floor. Maggie was with the team, running plays and racking up the points as usual, Christina was with the dance squad, hammering out a new routine, and Linda was standing on the sidelines, out of costume but cheering enthusiastically as usual. The poor girl had tried out for the basketball team and the dance squad but hadn't made the cut for either of them; despite her enthusiasm, she just didn't have much athletic ability. The coaches had gotten together and come up with the idea of the mascot – something the school hadn't had at the time, and even though it wasn't what she wanted, she had embraced it wholeheartedly. Every game she put the Ruidoso Wildcat costume on and got out there to cheer for her team and amuse the fans with her antics.

He motioned to her when everyone started filing off of the court, heading for the locker room to shower before going home.

"You didn't have to hang around after school today, Michael; didn't Maggie tell you she was gonna catch a ride home with me?"

"What? Yeah, she said you guys were ridin' together." Okay, he just had to ask her. Piece of cake, no need to be sweating. He groaned internally. He hated having to ask for help, especially from any of the girls. "Umm… yeah, I wanted to ask you for a favor."

"Me? Really?" She sat on the bench beside him and waited expectantly.

Michael frowned, hoping she wasn't going to do one of her happy dances since now he was gonna owe her something. "Yeah, I heard that you're gonna be outta town this weekend and I thought maybe you'd let me borrow the jeep while you're gone."

_Yes!!_ Linda's brain was already working on what she could get from Michael. No way was she let him borrow her precious jeep for nothing. "And in return, you'll what?"

_He knew it! He sighed, prepared to make a deal with her. How come nobody was nice and did things for free? He was a nice guy, for God's sake. He was the best brother a girl could ask for; she could ask Maggie if there were any doubts on her part!_ "I suppose that depends on what you want."

An evil smile graced Linda's face; this was such a rare occasion and she had to make sure she used it for something really good. "Hmm, so you'd basically be at my mercy."

Michael winced.

"Okay, but, I don't have to tell you right now, right? I can let you know when you come by to pick the jeep up on Friday afternoon?"

Michael watched her suspiciously. _Uh-uh, this didn't sound good. He knew the girl; this was going to be bad. Bad for him,_ his mind clarified, _not for her._ "You're already plannin' somethin', aren't you?"

"Not yet." She grinned and stood up. "But I will be. Are you gonna wait for Maggie or are you leavin' now?"

"Nope, I'm gone. I'd hate to keep the three of you from yakkin' about whatever it is you yak about when you're together." Mission accomplished, he shoved his textbook into his backpack and hurried out of the gym.


	29. Chapter 29

**Part 29**

On Thursday afternoon, Maria was talking to the cook while she waited for him to finish an order for one of the three patrons sitting in the dining area; it was going to be a slow night – Thursday's always were. Thankfully, it was her last day at the Crashdown until Monday and after school was over the next day, she wouldn't have to worry about running into people she really didn't want to see. She was looking forward to spending the entire weekend with Michael and his family, attending a ceremony that outsiders weren't normally invited to attend.

She looked up when the bell above the door jingled and Liz came in with Alex, Max, and Isabel. Due to the fact that it was the slowest day of the week, she was the only waitress on duty, which meant that if they decided to sit down anywhere in the room, she would have to wait on them. She gritted her teeth when they sat down in one of the booths near the back, but a moment later, Liz walked up to the window where the cook placed the food once it was ready for pickup.

"Hey, Jose, can you fix this order when you're finished there?" she asked, handing the man a piece of paper.

"No problem."

That same awkward feeling from their last encounter settled over both girls and Liz cleared her throat before lifting her downcast eyes to look at Maria. "We probably won't be here very long."

"Um-hmm. Big plans?"

"Well, no, we're just going out to…" She trailed off suddenly and shook her head. "No, no big plans."

Maria nodded. "Didn't think so." She reached for the plates Jose set in the pickup area and walked away without another word, knowing that if she stayed, Liz would try to come up with an explanation and she just wasn't interested anymore.

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The stone quarry outside of Roswell was the perfect place to have meetings without having to worry about conversations being overheard. Max parked the jeep, his dark eyes scanning the horizon for anything that looked out of place before jumping out and holding his hand out to Liz. On the other side, Isabel stepped out while Alex jumped over the side to land on his feet beside her.

"Okay, you said you've found somethin'?" Max asked.

Alex glanced at Isabel and nodded when she gave just the barest shake of her head. He didn't understand why she didn't want her brother to know that she had been helping him with the letter, but he respected her wishes and started to speak. "I haven't cracked the code yet, but I have discovered what language it's written in."

"So, it's not an alien-based code?"

Liz glanced at Max, unable to tell if he was relieved or disappointed that the letter wasn't in some obscure alien dialect.

"No, it's written in Navajo, but I suspect that it's been altered. You've heard of code talkers, haven't you?"

Max nodded. "Sure, they were enlisted to handle sensitive communications during World War II." He shook his head. "You're sayin' it's written in Navajo, but without an actual code talker, we're not gonna know what it says?"

"That's what I'm sayin'. Now, I've been doin' some research, and there are some code talkers still alive – "

"No." Max paced back and forth for several minutes.

"Max, if he can find one of these code talkers, we may be able to find out what's in the letter," Isabel said, hoping to reason with her brother. "Look, you agreed to let him decode the letter and he's gotten farther than any of us thought he would – "

"I said no, Isabel. It's too dangerous to pursue this any further. Code talkers worked for the government; even if he found one, would you really trust the man to translate the letter? We don't know what's in the letter and if it's alien related, allowing the wrong person to have access to it could cause too much trouble. It could threaten everything that we have… everyone that we care about." He looked at Alex. "You have the letter with you?"

Alex watched Max closely, hoping that his intention wasn't to destroy the letter. "Of course. I bring it with me anytime we have a meeting."

"Give it to me."

Alex glanced at Isabel once more, surprised when she shook her head negatively. "Max, maybe you need to think about this a little longer before makin' a decision."

"No, we're not takin' the risk." He took the letter when Alex pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to him. He unfolded it and looked at it, his expression regretful before he ran his right hand over it and it turned to dust.

Isabel stared at him, her expression a mix of incredulity and anger. "You could've just destroyed the only information we'll ever have about who we are and why we're here!"

Max looked at his sister, surprised by her irritated tone. "What're you talkin' about? You haven't shown the slightest bit of interest in this letter since we found it."

"It doesn't matter now, does it?" Isabel shook her head. "Don't the two of you have a date tonight?" She walked back over to the jeep and settled into the passengers' seat. She didn't know why it bothered her so much, but it really did.

Driving back into town, she refused to engage in conversation with anyone and she stared straight ahead when they stopped at Alex's house to let him out.

"Did you wanna work on that History project tonight, Isabel?" he asked, standing beside her.

Isabel looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. _Had he used that excuse so many times that he actually believed it?_ she wondered. "What?"

"That History project; we're nowhere near bein' finished with it and I thought since I don't have any plans tonight, maybe you'd wanna work on it." He shrugged one shoulder and grinned at her. "I've still got that DVD that we picked up yesterday."

Isabel's eyes widened as she realized what he was trying to tell her. "Oh, I thought you had to return that earlier?"

Alex grinned when she quickly picked up on his coded message. "Defective copy; I got a copy of the original."

Understanding dawned and she reached over to unbuckle her seatbelt.

"What History project?" Max asked. "I didn't know you guys were workin' on homework together."

_Neither did I, _Liz thought, watching them. She could be wrong, but she knew Alex, and she knew that something was up with him. And that something had to do with Isabel; there wasn't a doubt in her mind about that.

"I don't tell you everything, Max," she snapped, annoyed that he felt like he had the right to question what she did on her own time. "God, would you like me to bring you a note from the teacher?"

"I'm not good for her reputation," Alex said, hoping to divert the questions, "so, we've been tryin' to keep it under wraps." He shrugged. "Hey, she's not good for my rep either; the geek bein' seen with one of the elite? Not good for geek morale; my friends think I'm goin' over to the dark side."

Liz listened to Alex's self-deprecating tone as she tried to decipher the underlying message in his words. She had the same teacher for History that Alex and Isabel had, just during a different period, and he hadn't assigned any projects that required students to pair up. _Maybe it was an extra credit project? _She knew Alex had good grades, but she didn't know what kind of grades Isabel had, so maybe it was for the blonde's benefit.

"Will you need a ride home?" Max asked, accepting Alex's answer without question.

"I can give you a ride home later," Alex offered. "You'll have to duck down so no one sees you," he joked.

"You didn't have to do that," Isabel said after her brother and Liz had driven away. "I could've called my dad to come get me."

He shrugged. "You can still do that if you'd prefer."

"No, that's fine. You really made a copy of the letter?"

"First thing I did the day we found it." He paused at the front door. "I think Max is wrong to not follow this thing through to find out where it leads, and since it seemed like you felt the same way… well, I think you've got a right to whatever information or answers are in that letter. I don't agree with him just destroying it outright; whatever's in this letter, wherever it leads, it affects both of you. So, if you really want to pursue it and find out where it takes us…"

She nodded. "I wanna know what's in it."

Alex opened the door and motioned for her to enter ahead of him. "Okay. We might wanna talk to Mr. Tate and see about getting an extra credit assignment or somethin' so this lie we're tellin' to everyone we know actually has some truth to it. It would mean an actual project, but we'd have a ton of information to use by the time we're done."

"That's a good idea," she agreed. "We can talk to him tomorrow."

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Maria had just finished changing back into her street clothes when she heard the bell above the door jingle, the sound echoing in the empty restaurant. Closing hadn't taken that long thanks to the lack of customers that night, but she still hadn't managed to leave the building before Liz got back from her date. Knowing there was no way to avoid seeing Liz, she grabbed her purse and walked out into the dining area, pulling her car keys out as she went.

"Maria! I didn't know you were working the closing shift again."

_Déjà vu,_ Maria thought as she paused next to the second booth. She set her purse down and turned to look at the other girl where she stood behind the counter with a bottle of water she had just gotten from the kitchen. "I've worked the closing shift all week," she said, her tone annoyed. "You haven't noticed that we haven't had the same shift all week long?"

"Well, yes, I'd noticed." Liz shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably. "I just thought that you were off."

"But you didn't ask."

"No."

"You've never been a good liar, Liz."

"Fine," the brunette snapped. "Fine, I thought you had talked to my dad and worked your schedule so that we weren't working together. Is that what you wanna hear?"

"Now why on earth would I rearrange my schedule so that I'm stuck closing for a week? Do you honestly think that this… this… thing, whatever it is, that's come between us is a good enough reason for me to take on that shift? Sorry, Liz, this isn't about you, it's not about your new friends who apparently require you to lie to someone who's been your best friend your whole life, it's about me!" she shouted. "It's about me having new friends who don't lie to me, it's about me having a boyfriend who asks me to be part of something that not many people get to be part of, it's about me being able to deal with having new people in my life that I can't share with you because you took yourself out of my life."

Liz stared at her, confused. "You have a boyfriend? Who?"

Maria had to grit her teeth together to stop herself from yelling. What part of _"I can't share with you because you took yourself out of my life"_ didn't she understand? "No, we don't share information anymore, Liz. Remember? Your decision, not mine. Things have changed; for weeks I walked around hurt because you had shut me out of your life and then I met someone… someone who has introduced me to a completely new world, and who wants to spend time with me. I cut my hours back because I've been working part-time for my mom, that's why most of the time, we don't see each other at work. I've been working the closing shift so I could spend the weekend with my boyfriend and his family; they're Native American and I've been invited to a ceremony out on the Rez."

"But you're… they don't allow outsiders to observe ceremonies."

"I'm not an outsider there. I feel more at home, more accepted there, among people I haven't known very long, than I do in a town where I've spent my entire life." It hurt her to say those words. _How had things come to this in such a short time? How could things change so fast, leaving her feeling as if she wasn't accepted in her best friends' club?_

Liz stared at the counter for several minutes, shocked. She was pensive as she absorbed what Maria had said. _She had a new life, just like they did and Liz wasn't a part of it. Just like Maria wasn't part of her life with Max. God, it was all so painful._ She tried to contain the tears that were threatening to fall and reveal the pain she was trying to hide. She swallowed with difficulty and admitted what was clear to her, now. "I didn't realize that things had changed that much."

Maria stared at her, incredulous. "Are you kidding? Things are completely different than they used to be. You've got a whole new circle of friends, and I'm done asking about them or about what's going on between you because you obviously don't think I should be included." She waited for a minute to see if Liz would respond and when she didn't, Maria picked up her purse and walked to the door, shaking her head. "I noticed we're both working the closing shift on Monday so I guess I'll see you then."

Liz watched her go and brushed away the tears that had filled her eyes during Maria's tirade. She hadn't tried to hide the hurt or the anger from her voice although she must have been too tired to allow the conversation to turn into a full-blown argument. She had never expected her involvement with Max and Isabel to destroy her relationship with Maria and she felt helpless to keep it from happening.

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Max slid onto the bench across from Liz, concerned when she didn't even notice his arrival. He turned his head to follow her miserable gaze and immediately knew why she was so distracted. Maria was sitting by herself under a large tree, her concentration on the textbook balanced on her raised knees.

"She thinks I don't trust her," she said quietly. "We ran into each other again last night and things were so uncomfortable; our relationship has never been this strained."

"Liz, I'm sorry. I never wanted this secret to hurt you, and I know that her friendship is important to you."

"I know it was never your intention, but that's what it's come to. I'm gonna really lose my best friend over this because I can't tell her the truth, because I can't talk to her about why she's suddenly uninvolved in my life."

Max felt a moment of doubt when he heard Liz's heartfelt words. He had known all along that the rift in her friendship with Maria was causing her more pain than she was letting on, but now that she had given voice to those feelings, he couldn't help but wonder if she was going to crack under the pressure.

"Liz, you know you can't tell her." He hated that he had to remind her that the secret couldn't be revealed to Maria, and it hurt that he was the cause of her disintegrating friendship.

"I know." She sighed heavily. "It's just… she suddenly has this whole other life that I don't know anything about and I…" She shook her head. "She said she has new friends and a new boyfriend and for the first time in our lives, we're not the first ones to know what's going on in each other's lives."

Max nodded, knowing that there really wasn't anything he could say to make things any better for her.

"I promised you I wouldn't tell her, Max, and I won't. It just hurts that there's all this distance and secrets between us now." She shook her head. "I want to tell her… I want to tell her more than anything else, because I know she could handle it. Yeah, she'd probably freak out at first, but you'll never find someone who can keep a secret better than Maria. But, I won't tell her. I'm not really sure it would even matter at this point; she's so angry and hurt that she probably won't ever let me get that close again anyway."

"I am sorry, Liz." He reached across the table to take her hands in his. "If there was any other way…"

"I know." She nodded. "I know." She heard a familiar ring tone and turned her head to watch Maria dig through her purse for her cell phone to answer it. She couldn't help the flare of jealousy that exploded within her when she saw the smile light up her old friend's face. _It must be the new boyfriend_, she thought when she saw Maria's features become animated as she talked. Unable to watch any longer she released Max's hands and stood up. "We should go ahead and start back to class."

He nodded silently and followed her, wishing he could fix this for her.

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"Orange soda on the rocks."

Liz smiled at the familiar voice and turned around to look at Alex. "What're you doing here on a Friday evening?" she asked as she filled his order.

"Killin' time," he answered with a grin. "No date with Max tonight?"

"No, I've got the closing shift tonight." She rolled her eyes and placed his glass on the counter in front of him. "Lucky me. What about you?"

Alex tried to stay calm while he answered Liz's question. He didn't want to set her 'best friend' radar off. He also really didn't want to explain that Isabel wanted to pursue the investigation after Max had declared that it was too dangerous. He could see that Liz was tired and preoccupied and he didn't want to add that burden on her shoulders. "Isabel's comin' over later so we can work on that History project."

Liz frowned. Isabel seemed to be around Alex a lot here lately. Was she keeping an eye on him because she didn't trust him? _Was she going to hurt him? Was she capable of doing such a thing? _ Liz didn't know Isabel that well, but she was concerned with her suddenly being around Alex so much. _What did it mean? She really hoped that she was wrong; she couldn't handle losing her remaining best friend because of more alien-related insanity!_ "What's going on with you two? I can't believe you and Isabel Evans have been hanging out and you haven't said a word about it."

"Well, you've been pretty busy with Max – "

Liz shook her head. "Not too busy to hear about that. I hardly ever see you anymore."

Alex heard the longing in her voice and he leaned forward, forearms braced on the counter. She seemed to really miss the old times spent with her friends, just having fun. "I noticed that too. Between school, practice with my band, and workin' on that letter, I haven't had time for much else."

A full blown smile graced Liz's face. "So, I should be seeing more of you now that one of those things is no longer a priority."

Alex laughed at her eager tone. "Well, I've got that History project goin' on too, but I'll try to get by here more." He tipped his head to one side as he studied her expression, wondering where her thoughts were. "Somethin' botherin' you?"

Liz sighed, as her happiness slowly began to fade. _Maria… the fight… the news that she had a boyfriend… friends… a new life she wasn't part of._ "Maria. I ran into her last night when I came home after my date with Max."

Alex read her expression easily. "Things didn't go well?"

Liz leaned her elbow on the counter and rested her chin in her hand. "Understatement of the year." She sighed and looked at him. "Things are never gonna be the same again, are they?"

"You've gotta believe that at some point, we're gonna be able to tell her what's goin' on, Liz. When the time comes and Max and Isabel have been convinced, we'll be able to tell her everything. She's Maria… she'll understand why we couldn't say anything."

"You don't believe that anymore than I do," she denied softly. "Even Maria has a point where she isn't gonna be able to wait any longer, and I think she's dangerously close to it now. You didn't talk to her, Alex; she's ready to accept that our friendships can't be salvaged."

Alex refused to fall into the pessimistic trap that Liz had fallen into. _There was still hope. Maria was extreme in her reactions, but she was also very attached to the people she loved. He was sure that it would take a lot more for Maria to give up on them and write them off. She was hurt, sure, but she still wanted them in her life. _ "You're wrong, Liz. Maria will accept what we did once we explain. You know her, she'll be probably run, screaming at the tops of her lungs once she knows about our alien friends, then she'll be pissed off that we lied to her, but in the end, she'll understand that we were just protecting a huge secret, and two lives." _Yes, he believed that. Liz was just depressed and it was influencing her opinion about Maria's emotional state._ He finished his soda and pushed the glass back before reaching into his pocket.

Liz rolled her eyes. "I hope you're not reaching for money. You're practically family, Alex; my dad's never let you or Maria pay for anything."

He shrugged and pulled his hand out of his pocket. "Speaking of family, I'd better get home; the parents are goin' out after dinner so I'd hate to make them late for their date."

"Home all alone with Isabel?"

He rolled his eyes at her teasing tone. "Yeah, Liz, because anything could or would ever happen between me and Isabel Evans." He stood up and stretched. "You got plans for tomorrow?"

"No, why?"

"Wanna catch a movie in the afternoon?" He knew it was the right question as soon as he saw her smile.

"Yeah!" Liz was so happy that she jumped into Alex's arms, hugging him tightly.

He smiled, happy to see her in a better mood. "I'll call you in the mornin' and we'll decide what we're gonna go see, okay?" he asked as he freed himself from Liz's arms.

"Thanks, Alex." Liz felt relieved. Alex always knew how to make things all right. He was the best guy on Earth.

He nodded and waved as he made his way to the door.

Time seemed to drag as the evening shift crept by despite the constant rush of patrons but Liz hardly noticed until her father called her over to the counter where he was filling out some paperwork.

"I need you to run over to Amy's and pick up some pies, Lizzie."

"Okay, Dad." She went into the employees' lounge to grab her jacket and put her headband in her locker before grabbing her father's keys off of his desk and hurrying out the door. She stopped abruptly, one hand on the open door as she thought about Maria. _Was she going to be there? _She sighed, hoping, for the first time in her life, that Maria wouldn't be home when she got there.


	30. Chapter 30

**Part 30 **

Michael knocked on the door and braced one hand against the doorframe while he waited for someone to let him in. He was a little earlier than he had anticipated, but he hadn't expected Maria to be ready on time, so he certainly didn't expect her to be ready early.

He smiled when the door opened and Maria stood there wrapped up in a fluffy bathrobe with strange designs all over it.

"Cute," he commented, leaning in to kiss her. "Your mom home?" he growled against her lips.

"Huh-uh," she muttered, too distracted by his hands fumbling with the tie on the robe to give the answer much more thought.

"Good." His hands slid around her waist, the pads of his fingers brushing against her skin before his palms came to rest against her soft flesh.

Maria barely noticed when the door thumped back against the wall as Michael crowded closer to her and deepened the kiss. Her arms came around him and her hands roamed over the broad expanse of his back, tracing over the defined muscles before sliding up to tangle in his hair.

He slowly pulled back and he stared down at her as his heartbeat slowed back to normal and he brought his breathing under control. "You should probably finish getting ready," he whispered raggedly. "Otherwise, we may not make it to the ceremony and that would really piss my mom off."

"Well, we don't wanna do that." She smiled, before clarifying, "Piss your mom off I mean… we don't wanna do that." Her gaze raked over him when he stepped back and she nodded in appreciation. "Look at you."

Michael looked down at himself and shrugged. "What?"

"Nothing. Any advice on what to wear?" she asked.

He groaned. "You haven't picked your clothes out yet?" He shook his head. "Okay, scratch that. Just remember that it's informal, the ceremony is held outdoors, and this time of year the temperature is gonna fall into the low-forties overnight so you wanna dress in layers."

"Okay, how long do we have before we need to leave?"

Michael glanced at his watch, quickly calculating to give them plenty of time. "About an hour."

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Liz parked in front of Amy's house a little while later, wondering who was parked in the driveway. She didn't recognize the blue jeep parked there, but Maria had said she was going to be out of town over the weekend so maybe it belonged to whomever Amy was dating.

Walking up to the front door she rang the doorbell, briefly wondering about the last time she had stood on this porch waiting for an invitation to enter. She and Maria had been in each other's back pockets since they were old enough to walk and she couldn't remember the last time either of them had been required to ring a doorbell or knock on the door at each other's homes.

She took a step back when a guy she didn't know opened the door. He was taller than Max, he was scowling, and he wasn't the least bit welcoming. For a moment she entertained the thought that he was Amy's new boyfriend, but she quickly realized that he was too young. That only left one logical explanation; he had to be the new guy in Maria's life.

"Um, hi, I'm Liz Parker." She wondered if it was just her imagination or if his unwelcoming expression really had gotten colder when she introduced herself. "I'm here to pick up some pies from Amy."

He stepped back without a word and she squeezed past him, quickly putting distance between them as she moved to the center of the living room. She watched him as he leaned against the doorframe, hands shoved in his pockets while his insolent gaze raked over her dismissively.

Now that she had seen him for herself, she could rationalize her feelings where he was concerned. _This wasn't jealousy; it was dislike, plain and simple_. After just a couple of minutes, she already had a list of descriptives for him and none of them were flattering. He was rude, unfriendly, and obviously anti-social, he was too tall, too big, his presence was overwhelming, and he apparently only had the one scowling expression.

_There was no reason for both of them to be rude_, she decided. She cleared her throat. "You're Maria's new boyfriend?"

"Why?" His scowl deepened. "You writin' a book?"

Liz was startled by his obvious antipathy towards her. Was he always like this with people he didn't know? How had he and Maria crossed paths? "What? No, I'm just trying to make polite conversation."

"Don't hurt yourself on my account."

Liz frowned at the hostility that he didn't bother trying to hide and decided her dislike of him was justified. He was Maria's opposite in every way; Maria was funny, she was clever, she had a colorful personality, and she was full of life. This guy was none of those things; he was the anti-Maria. He was bad news and she was certain that Maria shouldn't be dating him.

Michael hadn't expected to meet the famous Liz Parker, friendship-wrecker-at-large, when he had gone to answer the door. He had been tempted to slam the door in her face when she 

introduced herself but he controlled the urge and moved out of the way to let her in. He hadn't left her much room to get by and he wanted to laugh when she darted past him and practically ran to the center of the room like a scared rabbit.

Coming face to face with one of the people responsible for destroying a friendship that meant so much to Maria was unexpected and it took considerable restraint to stop himself from telling her what he thought of her. He already didn't like her on principle; anyone who could treat their so-called best friend with so little consideration for their feelings didn't deserve his time or his tolerance.

He slouched against the doorframe and shoved his hands in his pockets. He knew he could be intimidating and he let that work in his favor as his gaze raked over her in a single dismissive sweep. His gaze was openly hostile as it met hers and he could almost hear her as she mentally catalogued his faults in her head.

"You're Maria's new boyfriend?"

Michael's scowl deepened as he responded to her question and with her next words he decided to have some fun with her.

"I'm just trying to make polite conversation."

"Don't hurt yourself on my account." He watched her bite her bottom lip and he wondered what it took for her to lose her temper. _Or was she one of those people who repressed everything until it was too much to contain any longer and they just about exploded?_

"You're just not what I expected," she said finally. "Maria said she was going to a ceremony out on the Reservation this weekend with her boyfriend and his family." She shrugged. "I guess I was just expecting you to be Indian."

"Why? Cuz a guy would have to be Native American and desperate to date Maria?" he snapped, his tone sarcastic.

Her eyes narrowed as she studied him, certain he had deliberately misunderstood what she was saying. She decided to try a new approach to avoid another... _misunderstanding_.

"Maria doesn't really talk about you." He straightened up and moved further into the room, reminding her once again of his overwhelming presence. "It's just strange because, y'know, Maria talks a lot." She laughed nervously and moved behind the couch.

Michael smirked in satisfaction when she moved, putting the couch between them. "I'm well aware of how much she likes to talk, but there have been some changes in her life recently..." His dark gaze bored into her. "Which you already know since you're the reason behind those changes. Right?"

Liz froze and stared at him as she realized what a precarious position she was in. _What exactly _

_had Maria told him?_ she wondered. _Was his hostility a result of his character or had Maria told him what Liz and Alex had done to her? _She faltered for several moments, unsure of her next move. She had totally lost control of the conversation and she had a feeling she wasn't armed with enough facts to take him on. She swallowed hard and decided that she owed it to Maria to at least take the risk and attempt to express her concern.

"I just... I worry about Maria." She cleared her throat. "Her father isn't around, her mom's away a lot, and due to recent, um, circumstances, her emotional state's pretty fragile and that could allow her to make questionable judgments that would put her in a position to be used by... um, people. We don't talk a lot lately – that's true – but it doesn't mean that I don't care about her. Maria's still my friend and I would still want to protect her if I thought she was in danger."

Anger surged to the surface and he didn't waste time trying to control it. "What do you think gives you the right to come in here and accuse me of bein' dangerous where she's concerned?! You wanna go around judgin' people on first impressions? Cuz you'd better go look in the mirror before you start passin' judgment on anybody else. Do you have any idea how badly you've hurt her? Goin' around actin' like she's too stupid to realize that she's bein' lied to? You have no idea how upset she's been because these two people who are so important to her are suddenly keepin' secrets from her and won't let her be a part of their new lives. Do you know how useless you've made her feel?"

Liz flinched under his harsh words, each one ripping away the scar tissue that was just starting to form over the gaping hole left in her life by Maria's absence. Her eyes were burning with unshed tears and she blinked quickly in an effort to keep from crying in front of... him. She didn't even know the name of the guy who was shredding the remnants of her soul with his vicious onslaught.

"I didn't take advantage of her," Michael continued, feeling no sympathy for her. "Our meeting was accidental but our worlds collided, it's as simple as that. She didn't just come skippin' into my life and spill her guts; I could tell that she'd been hurt but it took time before she told me what was goin' on. And when she did, I got to see the full extent of the hurt caused by the train wreck you and what's-his-name created. So, you don't get to come in here and play the worried friend, you have no right to do that anymore... not where she's concerned. If you're so worried and you know she's been in a... what'd you call it? A fragile emotional state? Why the hell didn't you try to help her? What kinda secrets could you possibly have that would make you treat her like you've treated her?"

Liz swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in her throat. She couldn't take much more of his verbal assault. Every single word had hit its target with unerring accuracy and she wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to stand there and take his angry tirade.

"You wanna bring her father into this? Fine, let's bring him into it. You've known her all her life; you were friends when he walked out, so you know it devastated her. You know she has abandonment issues and yet you essentially did the same thing to her." He shook his head in disgust. "The two of you have been everything to her; your friendship is the foundation she's built her entire life on, and with no warning, no explanation, you took it from her. You stand 

here and claim to be her friend..." He shook his head again. "No real friend does that. A real friend would've been honest with her from the beginning. A real friend never would've exploited her weaknesses and left her alone wonderin' why she's not enough to keep the people she cares about from leavin'."

Liz forced that stubborn lump in her throat down once more and blinked past the tears blurring her vision. She was stunned by the guy's defense of Maria. He was dark and angry, but apparently not stupid or blind. He obviously knew Maria very well and he hadn't held back in letting her know just how badly she and Alex had hurt Maria with their behavior and actions. She wanted to be able to put his speech down to him being rude, but she knew it was true – all of it – and she felt a cloud of depression settle over her.

Maria finished putting her earrings in and gave herself one final glance in the mirror, nodding in approval at her reflection and reaching over to turn the radio off. She frowned when she heard Michael's voice, loud despite being muffled through the closed door and she hurried out of her room.

She froze in the living room doorway, her gaze bouncing between Michael and Liz. His expression was stormy and hers was devastated, so Maria could guess what had happened and she was certain he hadn't been gentle while vocalizing his feelings.

"I came by to pick up the pies from your mom," Liz said finally, forcing the unshed tears back. She gave a relieved sigh and practically ran after Maria when she nodded and turned towards the kitchen.

Maria collected the pies, stacking the six individual boxes into one large box to make it easier to manage. She knew Liz was upset; she had heard it in her voice when she had spoken and she knew the other girl was trying hard not to cry.

"He seems to really love you."

Maria ignored Liz when she spoke, unable to speak as she slid the box across the counter. She saw Liz swallow hard and nodded when the brunette hurried to leave. It hurt. Just seeing Liz standing in the kitchen hurt, because she was finally coming to realize that they would probably never sit at the kitchen table commiserating over a pint of ice cream, or sit in the living room watching scary movies and hiding under a shared blanket during the scary parts.

"Hey, you okay?"

She turned and was immediately enveloped in Michael's arms, held against his solid frame while his heart thumped in a reassuring beat where her ear was pressed against his chest. She would never get the chance to share her feelings for him with Liz and that was one of the things that were the hardest to deal with.

"Hey, I brought you somethin'." He reached into his shirt pocket when she leaned back, pulling a photograph out and handing it to her.

Maria accepted it and turned it over, smiling at the image captured on the photograph. A six-year-old Michael stood on the porch of his house holding a fat, fluffy Golden Retriever puppy. There was just the slightest hint of a smile on his face as he looked up from the puppy he was obviously struggling to hold onto.

"Rath?"

"Um-hmm." He shrugged. "I thought maybe you'd like a copy of it."

"So, this is mine?"

"Yeah."

"I love it." She leaned up to kiss him. "Thank you." She glanced over his shoulder at the clock on the wall. "Let me go put it away and then we can go."


	31. Chapter 31

**Part 31**

Isabel reached over Alex's shoulder to point at something on the computer screen, one perfectly manicured nail tapping repeatedly to draw his attention to one of the sites. "Try that one," she said.

"Okay, just hold on a second." He chuckled at her impatient tone and finished scribbling some notes down on his notebook. "We need to make sure we keep detailed information, no matter how useless it seems, that way if we need it later we can always come back to it."

"It says here that his last known residence was in Cleveland; how is that information gonna help us? We have no way to…" She trailed off when he held a hand up, stopping the flow of words.

"It's a proven method of research." He set the notebook aside and clicked on the website she had been pointing at. "Trust me, Isabel; you just never know when this information could come in handy." He turned his head when someone knocked on his door and he minimized the screen when he saw Liz standing there, her expression too controlled. "Liz?" He stood and crossed the room, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders when she didn't move. "Liz, what's wrong?"

She was trying to keep her voice under control even though it was killing her to do so. "I had to go get pies at Maria's… my dad asked me to go over there…" She used the heel of her hand to brush away a tear that escaped. "Maria wasn't supposed to be home… she said so last night, Alex."

"C'mon over here and sit down," he urged, wrapping his right arm around her shoulders and walking her over to the bed. He crouched down in front of her and looked up into her miserable eyes. "Tell me what happened."

"She's got a boyfriend… some guy from the Reservation." She drew in a shaky breath and her throat tightened up again.

Alex's breath momentarily froze in his throat. "What?" _A boyfriend? Maria had a boyfriend that he didn't know about?_ His mind shifted back to the discussion he'd had with Liz at the Crashdown not so long ago when they had discussed the possibility of Maria reaching a point where she wouldn't be able to forgive them. _Could Liz be right?_ Maria doesn't have a… she hasn't said anything – "

"She can't, Alex! Don't you see? We've pushed her so far away that she can't even tell us she's got a new guy in her life."

"Wait… this guy… he was over at Maria's house? You met him?" Alex couldn't believe Maria was dating someone and he didn't know about it. It was his self-appointed job to check out any guy that either of his girls was dating. He felt a pang of regret when he realized that there was no way for them to know what Maria was doing because they had shut her out completely. He studied Liz's face, seeing the lines of stress around her eyes and he knew there was more to the story. "There's somethin' about him you didn't like?"

Liz nodded. "He's completely different from any of the guys she's ever dated, Alex. He's big, he's rude, and he's loud. And he knew all about the way we've treated her… because he made sure to tell me to my face how hurt she is and how she's having a hard time dealing with what we've done to her."

He frowned. "And Maria just let him talk to you like that?"

"She was in her room getting ready to leave with him; she didn't come in until he was finished saying what he had to say." Liz rubbed the sides of her neck where it hurt from continually holding her emotions in check.

Alex suddenly felt exhausted and he rubbed his eyes, trying to erase the surreal feeling that had come over him. "You got a bad feelin' about him?"

"I think he's dangerous." Her conscience prompted her to be honest. "I got the feeling that he does care about her, a lot, but I still think he's dangerous."

Alex stood and started pacing. He couldn't look at Liz, knowing that his own guilt was being reflected right back at him. How was he supposed to help her, comfort her, when he couldn't even forgive himself for what they had done to their friend? They had known that she wouldn't react well to their perceived defection; she had no way to know that the secret they were protecting was… He shook his head at his own thoughts. There was no excuse for what they had done; they knew she could be trusted with the secret but they had sacrificed her friendship, thrown it away as if it hadn't meant anything to them.

_What if Liz was right and the guy was dangerous? What if Maria got hurt because she had gone to someone else hoping to fill the void left in her life that her friends had previously filled? _

Isabel watched them and felt just the briefest moment of guilt before she shook her head in denial of her feelings.

"We could've told her… she wouldn't have told anyone," Liz whispered.

"I know."

Isabel stood up, her figure imposing and her features set in ice as she stared at Liz. "Max risked everything when he healed you; if it hadn't been for him, you would've bled to death on the floor of the restaurant." She shook her head. "He asked you not to say anything, to keep the secret, but you ran out and told Alex. The least you could do is to respect his wishes and avoid telling anyone else about us. You got a second chance at life, and you knew going in that it was going to come with a price. And if Maria had to be the price you paid for getting that second chance and learning the secret then so be it." She shook her head. "There are people who would be willing to kill for this secret so telling Motormouth DeLuca is out of the question. My own parents don't even know the truth!"

"You don't know Maria, Isabel," Liz argued tearfully. "She's the most trustworthy person in the world."

"So you're saying that my parents aren't? My mother who gave up a job that she loved to take me and Max in, to teach us things that most kids know when they're two or three years old? No, if my own mother doesn't know, Maria doesn't get to know."

"Why haven't you told your parents?" Alex asked.

"Because Max won't agree; he doesn't think it's safe to tell them. I wanted to tell them, but he refused. We made a promise years ago, when we first realized that we weren't like everyone else that we'd never tell anyone and he broke that promise when he told you. Oh, he told me how you could be trusted and you wouldn't tell anyone… and within a matter of hours you told Alex, which proves my point that none of you can be trusted. I can't make you keep your mouths shut, I can't keep you from telling that weird girl about our secret, so just know that if you say one word to her about it, I'll leave Roswell. It'll break my heart because I'll leave everyone I love behind, and I'll leave with or without my brother, but I won't wait around for that motormouth to say something to the wrong people so the FBI or the government can come in and catch us." Isabel's voice was filled with anger and it only climbed higher as she reached the end of her impassioned speech. She meant every word of it and her gaze was hard as she looked at each of them in turn.

"I think I'd better go, Alex." Liz gave him a quick hug and ran from the room.

He let her go, knowing that for now there was nothing he could do to ease her pain or her guilt. He turned to face Isabel and for just a moment he saw the flash of fear in her dark eyes but she was quick to cover it up. "Could you have been any more heartless if you had tried?" he snapped. "This is not easy for her to deal with… it's not easy for either of us. Do you realize that we threw away a friendship that we've had our entire lives to be the guardians of your secret? A secret that Maria could've kept if you'd just given her half a chance!"

"You can't bring someone else in!" Isabel shouted. "You don't know what kind of risk you'd be taking. I know you think she can be trusted – "

"No, Isabel, I don't _think_ she can be trusted, I _know_ she can be trusted. There's a world of difference between those two words. Maybe you can stand there and blithely suggest that the friendship of someone like Maria is nothing more than collateral damage in this little science fiction we're all suddenly in, but she's a hell of a lot more than that. She's got feelings and emotions and she gets hurt just like anybody else, and that includes you."

He walked up to her and his gaze was unwavering as he delivered his next question. "Do you understand what it means to have a friend whose loyalty to you comes without price? Without obligation? Without any consideration of whether or not you would do the same for them if circumstances required, because they _know_ if they needed you, you'd be there? That's Maria, and she could've been your friend too if you'd let her. But you won't, will you?" He backed away and shook his head. "Because you don't know how to let someone get that close; you've never trusted anyone enough to let them be your friend."

"I have plenty of friends," she insisted.

"Yeah? Friends like Lisa and Mandy? The same two who you know started the rumors that were going around this mornin'? Who were probably on the phone before we had even made it to my car yesterday, telling your other _friends_ about how the mighty Isabel Evans has fallen to the bottom of the social chain. I've got news for you, Isabel; Maria would've never done that."

"You don't get to judge my friends."

"But you get to judge mine? Huh-uh, that's not the way it works. How many of your _friends_ would come runnin' if you were sick? Or if you had been hurt? Huh? How many of those mindless drones would be right by your side?"

"I don't get sick. And if I did get hurt, Max can heal – "

Alex was quickly reaching the breaking point; dealing with Isabel and her attitude was something that he had never anticipated would be so difficult. "That is not the point, Isabel! God, why are you bein' so damned difficult about this? I can tell you right now, no matter what we've done to Maria, how badly we've treated her, if somethin' happened to Liz or myself, she'd be knockin' people down to get to us. It doesn't matter that we've crushed her by lyin', keepin' secrets, and treatin' her like crap; she would be there if we needed her. That's just the kinda person she is."

"Well… she can't know about us," she stated as she sat down at the desk.

"I know it's gotta be a difficult position for you to be in, hidin' who you are from everyone including your family, but that's no excuse for actin' like a royal bitch. Liz came here needing someone to understand what she's goin' through, not a reminder that you think losin' Maria is inconsequential. I know you must live in constant fear that the wrong person will discover the truth about you and Max, but you've got two people on your side now that want to help you and you keep fightin' us. I know you resent Liz for getting shot, your brother for healin' her, me for knowin' the truth, and Maria for no reason that I can think of." He leaned over the chair she was sitting in, his hands braced on the arms of the chair as he met her startled gaze. "Get over it. You could very easily be stuck on planet earth for the rest of your life, and it's gonna be an awful long and lonely existence if you don't let people in. You've always had to keep people out to protect yourself and I respect that, but now you've got two people who know the truth and are still right here, willin' to be your friend. Stop pushin' us away, Isabel."

She stared after him when he stalked out of the room, obviously needing a minute or two to calm down. She had spent her entire life keeping people at a distance… he didn't know what he was asking her to do. She reached up to scratch her face when she felt something tickle her cheek, surprised when she realized it was a tear. She turned back to the computer and stared at the dark screen as she chewed on her thumbnail and waited for him to come back.

She suddenly pushed away from the desk and stood up, grabbing her jacket and stalking out of the room. _What was she doing?_ She was Isabel Evans and no one talked to her like he had just done. _Why had she allowed it? Why hadn't she jumped right back in his face and told him where he could go?_

Because deep down she knew he was right and it made her ask questions she wasn't sure she wanted the answers to. She couldn't go home because she was fairly certain that was where Liz would have gone so now she wasn't even able to retreat to her own refuge. She fled his house, getting into her car and driving aimlessly, doing her best to ignore the fact that Alex Whitman was making her face things she preferred to avoid. She finally ended up at the stone quarry with only her tumultuous thoughts for company.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"How did you manage to get your hands on Linda's jeep?" Maria asked, watching Michael as he drove. Black jeans and a crisp white shirt made him appear even taller than he really was, and the buckskin jacket embroidered with intricate Native American designs accentuated his broad shoulders. The arrowhead necklace that he normally wore had been replaced with a handcrafted choker made of four rows of fine bone, and dark brown and tan beads, all threaded together by thin strips of leather. A sterling silver bracelet with different animals cut out of it encircled his right wrist and he wore three different silver rings on his fingers.

"We have yet to reach an arrangement that is agreeable to both sides." He shrugged one shoulder. "She'll get what she wants one way or the other."

_An arrangement? One that Michael didn't know about?_ She shook her head, knowing how dangerous it was to agree to that kind of deal. _It always came back to bite you on the ass! Maybe she should warn him about the risks associated with that kind of deal… maybe later. _"Okay, we've been driving for fifteen minutes and you haven't said anything."

"I just said somethin'," he disagreed.

Maria rolled her eyes. "You know what I'm talking about, Michael."

"I was tough on her but after what she's done to you, she deserved it and I'm not gonna apologize for a damn thing I said to her."

She smiled at his belligerent tone. "I wasn't going to ask you to. I just wanted to know what was said."

"I told her what I think about the way you've been treated."

Maria watched his right hand as it clenched on the gearshift, his knuckles turning white under the pressure he was exerting. She reached over and pried his fingers away from the gearshift, her thumbs automatically searching for the pressure points in his palm that would force the tension from his hand.

"She did say that even though you weren't talkin' to each other, she still cares about you; she was apparently very worried about me bein' a danger to you."

She snorted at the notion that he posed any sort of threat to her and she shook her head when he looked at her sharply. "No, it's just ironic that she thinks you're dangerous, when the truth is that I've never felt safer than I do when I'm with you."

Michael glanced away from the road long enough to search her steady gaze, seeing the truth behind her words, and as suddenly as the tension had settled over him, it left him.

She looked down when Michael's much larger hand turned over, his fingers sliding through hers before his hand closed once more. He was slowly becoming more accustomed to simple touches like this; at first he had been stiff and she was certain it was due to the fact that displays of affection with anyone outside of his family were basically nonexistent. But now his hand, wrapped so comfortably around hers was relaxed and the action had occurred without a second thought on his part.

Maria settled back, her gaze sweeping over the scenery as it flew by and she thought back to that first drive out to the Reservation with her mother not so long ago. She hadn't had a clue that the trip was going to lead to Michael's presence in her life; at the time it had simply been a way to get away from Roswell and the constant reminder that she had lost her two best friends without an explanation. _It was nice to know that even though things had changed so drastically Liz still worried about her,_ she thought, and for the first time a thought connected to the other girl came and went without the usual feeling of hurt.


	32. Chapter 32

**Part 32**

Quiet knocking drew Max's attention and he unlocked his window and pushed it open, frowning when he saw the state Liz was in. Tears were running down her cheeks, pouring from her red-rimmed eyes. He helped her inside, ignoring the window in his haste to pull her into his arms and he winced at the cold that permeated her skin. She was shaking but he couldn't tell if it was from the cold or from the emotions she was trying so hard to control.

"Liz, can you tell me what's wrong?" He knew she had been scheduled to work the closing shift so he hadn't expected to see her until the next day. "Did somethin' happen to your parents?" He felt her shake her head negatively. "Alex?" Another negative shake of her head. He sighed deeply, knowing that only left one other person. "Maria?"

The girl's name, spoken in his gentle voice, was all Liz needed to hear to release the floodgates that had been holding her emotions back and she crumpled against Max. He staggered back a couple of steps when her weight sagged against him unexpectedly and he sat down on his bed, cradling her to him as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Liz clung to him as the pain rolled through her in unrelenting waves. Maria's boyfriend had verbally flayed her and then Isabel had rubbed salt into the newly opened wounds with her dispassionate dismissal of Maria. She didn't know how much longer she could keep this charade going; she was being pulled in two different directions and it was tearing her apart.

The only way to fix it was to either tell Maria the truth or let her go. Based on what her boyfriend had said, it would be better to just let Maria go, to stop trying to hold onto her. They were being selfish, trying to hold onto Maria while keeping her at a distance and if his statements were true, Maria was suffering a lot worse than they were.

_It wasn't supposed to happen this way_, she thought hysterically. _She wasn't supposed to have to sacrifice friendship for love, Maria for Max. That wasn't the way it worked.__  
_  
Max held her close, hurting inside for the obvious pain that she was in, pain that he couldn't fix despite his ability to heal. For so long, he and Isabel had been the only ones to know the secret and even though he had wanted Liz to know after he had healed her, he had never suspected that the price would be this high. For the first time in his life, he had someone he could talk to about anything and everything and he regretted drawing her into his life where keeping secrets and lying were required on a daily basis. He rocked her gently, silently apologizing for putting her in a situation where she had been forced to choose between him and Maria. It was a choice she never should've had to make, but she had made it for him.

For years he had watched her, always from a distance, afraid to approach her. She had always appeared to be happy and carefree, surrounded by her friends and enjoying life. His life was shrouded in secrets, his past a blank slate that he had no conscious memory of, and no matter how much he had wanted to step into the sunlight around her he had been terrified that the darkness that surrounded so much of his existence would taint the bright light that surrounded her. Now he knew that his fears were not unfounded; he had been right in his belief that simply being who he was would hurt her.

"She has a new boyfriend," Liz said finally, her voice rough from crying. "My dad needed me to run over to pick up some pies from her mom and I figured it wouldn't really be a big deal because last night, she said she was spending the weekend with her boyfriend and his family."

"She was there when you got to her house?" Max asked, his tone sympathetic.

"Yeah, but _he _answered the door."

His eyebrows lifted in surprise at the dislike he could easily hear in her voice. "The boyfriend?"

"I know what Alex and I did to Maria was wrong, but he didn't need to point it out the way he did. The whole time he was telling me how much she's been hurt and what terrible friends we are, he was doing his best to be as intimidating as possible."

Max felt his heart skip a beat. _He hadn't…_ he tried to keep his voice normal. "Did he threaten you?"

Easily reading the fear and anger Max was trying to hide at the perceived threat, Liz rushed to calm him down. "No, no, it was more like he was warning me to stay away from her." She dried her eyes and wiped her nose with the tissue he handed her. "I went to talk to Alex afterwards, and Isabel pointed out that we just needed to accept that losing Maria is something that we need to – "

"What?!" This time, Max couldn't contain the loud exclamation. _How dare Isabel say that to Liz? She was trustworthy, she had chosen them over Maria's friendship, and his sister was treating that act as if it was collateral damage of no importance! It mattered to Liz… _

Liz allowed a tear to escape as she moved closer to him, taking comfort from his presence. "I just couldn't take anymore after that, Max." She sighed and leaned back against him. "I want to tell Maria and I know she could handle it – I've never lied to you about my feelings on that subject, but at the same time I know we can't tell her."

"No," he agreed quietly, his mind on Isabel. "Especially not when she's got a bunch of new people she's hangin' around with." He shook his head. "I know it's not fair because I'm the one who dragged you into this madness – "

"Max, you saved my life." She paused, sitting up to look into his sad eyes. "I know you never expected any of this to happen. Maybe it's time for me to let Maria go because as long as I hold onto her and this secret, we're both gonna keep getting hurt. If I let her go now maybe one day it'll be safe enough to tell her why the secrets and the lies started and we'll be able to rebuild our friendship."

Max watched Liz as she struggled with the heartbreaking dilemma. She was in a difficult position and the decision she was contemplating was obviously breaking her heart. He wished he could help her in some way, but he knew his hands were tied. "That's a difficult decision."

"I'm scared that if I keep trying to hold onto her, we'll eventually have an argument where we say things that can never be taken back, and I'll lose any chance of one day fixing things with her." Her face was the living image of desolation. She didn't want to be torn like this, hurting her friend without meaning to or wanting to, but at the same time, she was afraid of what Isabel could to her, Alex, and Maria, if she ever revealed the truth. The consequences could be disastrous if Isabel kept her word, not only for them, but for her own family as well; they would be devastated if she took off. Liz had a sinking feeling that she hadn't been joking about vanishing and leaving everyone she loved behind, but God only knew what she could do to Maria before that.

"I'm sorry about what Isabel said," he apologized before she could ask if he thought she would be able to tell Maria one day. "She shouldn't have said those things." _And I will be talking to her about it, _he added silently.

"Don't be. You can't control the way she feels, Max." She sighed regretfully and stood up. "I should get back to the Crashdown; I kinda ran out after dropping the pies off and my dad's probably swamped right about now." She straightened her uniform before leaning over to kiss him. "Thank you for listening."

His hands cradled her head and his fingers slid into her hair, gently massaging her scalp in an attempt to soothe her pain away. "I just wish I could do somethin' to fix this for you, Liz."

"I know." She met his serious gaze and smiled. "And if there was a way for you to fix it, I know you would."

Max sat on the windowsill after she had left, wondering when his sister had become so closed off and cold. Maybe he couldn't fix the situation with Maria, but he could at least try to do something about Isabel's attitude.

xxxxxxxxxx

Maria looked away from the desert flying by when she shifted in the bucket seat to face Michael. "Tell me about the ceremony," she said.

"It's very intense." He shrugged. "It was banned for more than half a century; up until nineteen-seventy-eight when the American Indian Religious Freedom Act was passed."

"It was banned by the government?" _The American government? No way! What about freedom of religion? It was the cornerstone, the very foundation, which this country was built on._ Maria had a difficult time wrapping her mind around that information. _Her mom had to know about that; maybe she had a book or a magazine that discussed the subject in more depth… hmmm, she'd have to ask about that._

He snorted. "Who else? Of course, now that we're allowed to have the ceremony again, it's so expensive that there are a lot of people who can't afford it."

"How much is expensive?"

"It can cost as much as ten thousand dollars."

"For one ceremony?" Maria was shocked at the obscene amount of money he had mentioned. "How is that possible?"

"The ceremony's a rite of passage for girls; it symbolizes the transition from girl to woman. The girl's family is responsible for providing the food for everyone who attends, they have to pay the medicine man that presides over the ceremony, and there are other people involved who have to be paid. But, a lot of the cost comes from obtaining some of the items needed for the ceremony. Take the eagle feathers for example; the feathers in the ceremony have to come from an eagle, there is no substitute, you can't just use feathers from another bird. But, the feathers are difficult to come by because the family has to go through a nightmare of government bureaucracy and red tape just to get their hands on them. The ceremony used to last four full days and nights but now it's been trimmed down to make it a little more affordable for those who do decide that they want to experience it."

Maria was shocked that Native Americans had to endure such difficulties to practice their religion. "Wow, I had no idea the government was so involved."

"They are." Michael made an irritated gesture with his hand, unable to control his anger on the subject. "They insist on having police at any ceremony to monitor everyone, make sure no one gets out of hand. It's not quite as bad as it could be with that rule because at least we've got tribal police, but the fact that the government requires us to be monitored is bull. They have no respect for the people or the ceremonies that are a sacred and honored tradition; their only concern is keepin' us in our place."

_Okay, Michael was more than angry about that and she could understand why. It was like being put under a microscope and studied. _"Did your family have the ceremony for Maggie?"

"Um-hmm." He shook his head. "When I said it was intense, I wasn't kiddin', Maria. I seriously don't know how she did it; the ceremony is… it's incredible but it pushes the limits of physical endurance. By the time Sunday mornin' rolls around, you won't believe that Kai's still standin'."

_Kai, Kai, Kai… _Maria's mind was scrambling around, trying to remember who she was. "Kai's your cousin?"

"Yeah."

"So, does your whole family come out for the ceremony?" Maria was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable. All of Michael's family, all Native Americans, gathering for one of their private, religious ceremonies, and here she was, a White girl… a stranger… would they accept her presence?

"Everybody tries to make it, and from what my mom was sayin' last night it sounded like everyone's gonna be there." He shrugged one shoulder. "Most of 'em live on the Rez but there are a few who live outside of Ruidoso. I do have one uncle who lives in Santa Fe with his wife and daughter, but they're the only ones who live that far out. Well, his daughter lives in Austin now since that's where she's goin' to college."

"Did his job take him to Santa Fe?"

Michael thought about his uncle and the complications in his life. _What a shame it had turned out the way it had. He hadn't deserved the backlash he was getting from his own family._ He felt Maria's eyes on him and he glanced at her as he answered. "Yes and no. He was married but he and my aunt divorced about eight years ago when he found out he had a daughter from a previous relationship. My aunt wasn't willin' to let his daughter be a part of his life and she didn't want him involved with the kid so their marriage eventually fell apart."

_Ouch! That was bad. Maybe that was what had happened with her own father. Maybe he had met another woman and she didn't want Maria around? It wasn't that farfetched; the story Michael had told about his uncle proved it._ "Did they have any children together?"

"Yup, my cousin, Dakota, and he's about two years younger than his half-sister, Shyanne. My uncle took a job in Santa Fe so he could spend time with his daughter and he ended up marryin' her mother a couple years later. Dakota only went to see my uncle one time; once he found out that his dad was involved with a White woman, he refused to see him again. Ever since then he's had a problem with Whites and his mom hasn't done anything to change his attitude," he said, bitterness coloring his voice. "I'll point him out when we get there so you can avoid him. We played together when we were kids, but after what happened with his dad, I became another enemy because my skin's the wrong color."

Maria couldn't believe how easily he said the words. "Were you accepted when your parents brought you home?"

Michael thought about that for a moment. He had been young when Catherine and John had brought him home so he didn't really remember everything that had happened at that time in his life. "For the most part; there were a few people who had a problem with my parents raising a White kid, but I only remember one time that someone actually said somethin' derogatory about me in front of my parents." He chuckled. "My mom came unglued and I think if Dad hadn't been there, it would've gotten physical. There are still people who think my parents made a big mistake, that Whites have no place on the Rez, but they've never made it known publicly."

Maria snorted. "They're probably scared of your mom."

"If they're smart they are," he agreed.

Maria's thoughts shifted back to Shyanne, Michael's half-Native American, half-White cousin. _How did she feel? Did she relate more with the Native American culture or did she identify more with traditional American culture? Did she have a hard time spending time on the Rez since she lived in a big city?_ "Will your uncle bring his wife and daughter to the ceremony?"

"Yeah. He's Kai's favorite uncle and she'd be really hurt if he didn't show."

"And your aunt and cousin will be there too?" Maria silently admitted that she wasn't in any hurry to meet them; from what Michael had said they would probably protest her presence at the ceremony.

Michael glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He could read her expression just like an open book, and he could tell she was worried about his cousin. "Um-hmm. Dakota won't start anything at the ceremony; that'd be disrespectful. He'll wait until Sunday when the family's all together at Aunt Skye's house before he makes his move."

His choice of words caught her attention. "You already know what he's gonna do?"

"He'll come after me and try to start a fight but, everyone knows to expect it and they do their best to keep us separated." Michael checked his watch as he shrugged one shoulder. "I'd rather have him come after me than go after Shyanne though. I'd understand his anger if his dad had just walked out on them, or if he'd left Dakota's mom for this other woman, y'know? I still wouldn't understand his hatred of the entire White race, but his anger would be a little more understandable. His parents were divorced before his dad got involved with Shyanne's mother again and Uncle Randolph tried to save his relationship with Dakota, but… nothin' he did worked."

Maria looked around, confused when Michael turned into the fairgrounds that were deserted at this time of the year. "The ceremony isn't being held on the Rez?"

Michael's grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. "Nope. The government likes to tell us where we can hold our ceremonies; our so-called _religious freedom_ is subject to their interpretation of what is acceptable and where it can take place." Once again, his voice was tinged with bitterness.

"How can they call that freedom?" She frowned. "If they're telling you which of your ceremonies you're allowed to celebrate and where you can hold them… that's not freedom, it's a dictatorship."

Michael parked at the end of a long row of cars and smirked at her indignant tone. "Welcome to Native American life."

"I just don't understand how the government can do that," she said as they walked to the area that had been selected for the ceremony.

"Don't try to; it doesn't – "

"Mikey G!"

"Aw, crap," he muttered under his breath. _My ribs aren't ready for this, _he thought.

Maria's eyebrows lifted in surprise when a large figure darted between some of the cars, running towards them. The guy was a little shorter than Michael but he was built like a linebacker and he wasn't slowing down as he neared them. She could hear Michael's breath being forced out of his lungs when the guy grabbed him in a bear hug and lifted him up off of the ground.

"Okay, Joey," Michael wheezed breathlessly, "You can put me down now. Joey, down, now." He grabbed a handful of Joey's jacket to avoid falling when he was abruptly released. "Maria, this's my cousin Joey." He maintained his grip on the jacket to keep his cousin still. "Joey, this's – "

"I know who she is; Uncle John said you got a girlfriend now. I'm not stupid, y'know," he muttered petulantly.

Michael laughed heartily. "No, no, you're not. Are you supposed to be out here?"

"Huh?"

"Does your dad know where you are?"

Joey hung his head and dug the toe of his shoe into the loose dirt. "No."

"We should probably let him know then, huh?" He reached up and turned Joey's head to the right, frowning when he saw the scrapes on his cheek and temple. "What happened?"

Maria watched Michael as he demanded an explanation in a gentle tone. His cousin had to be around sixteen or seventeen years old, but it was obvious that his mental age wasn't in that same range.

"Tell me who did this, Joey."

She heard anger creep into his tone and knew it was directed at whoever had hurt the other boy but she could tell that Joey wasn't able to tell the difference. She placed a hand on Michael's shoulder and shook her head when he looked at her, relieved when he got the message.

"It's okay, buddy, don't worry about it."

"Are you mad?" Joey asked quietly.

"Not at you, Joey."

His mood brightened at his cousin's assurance and Joey turned to Maria with a big smile. "I was gonna hug you but everybody says I hug too hard and I don't think Mikey G would like it if I did that."

Maria couldn't help smiling in response to his open expression and his honesty. "You just don't know your own strength, do you?"

"I'm real strong," he said proudly.

"I believe you. Maybe I should call you Mighty Joe."

His dark eyes lit up in recognition of the movie reference. "Like the movie, huh? The one with the big gorilla!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Yeah, I'm strong like him. You can call me that."

Maria pretended to consider it. "I don't know," she said doubtfully. "Do you think you could be really gentle like he was with his friend?"

"Cuz it would've been bad if he'd squeezed her too hard, huh?"

She nodded. "It would've been very bad," she agreed.

"So, I shouldn't pick you up and squeeze you real hard like I did with Mikey G?"

Maria smirked at the boy's nickname for his cousin. "No, definitely not."

"Okay."

Michael watched in disbelief as his cousin hugged Maria with exaggerated gentleness.

"Like that?" Joey asked eagerly.

Maria smiled up at him and nodded. "Exactly like that."

"And I can be Mighty Joe now?"

"You think you can always be gentle like that?" She rubbed his arm when he bit his bottom lip uncertainly. "Except with Mikey G." She smiled at her boyfriend. "He needs gorilla hugs, don't you think?"

"Okay, I can do that."

"Then you, my friend, are now Mighty Joe."

"Cool! I'm gonna go tell everybody you're here."

Michael shook his head and watched Joey run ahead of them as they started walking again. "We've been tryin' to get him to be a little less… enthusiastic for a couple of years now; since he got so big, really."

"How old is he?"

"He'll be seventeen in a few months. Mentally and emotionally his age range is around five or six years old. His mother was an alcoholic and he was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome." He shook his head. "His dad was an alcoholic too, but when Joey was born and he realized that his son would never have a normal life because of his parents' lifestyle, he straightened up."

_God, that was so sad!_ Maria gaze followed Joey as he ran around ahead of them, laughing all by himself; he seemed to be happy. "What about his mom?"

Michael's expression became closed off. "She died when Joey was three; alcohol-related, of course." He snorted. "Her own kid wasn't even enough to make her stop drinkin'."

Maria's hand settled on his back, trying to comfort him as she rubbed small circles against his tense muscles. He seemed to love his cousin and it was obvious he was having a hard time accepting that Joey's mother had turned her back on her own son. "Well, that was her choice, and she's the one who's missing out because of it. He's very sweet, and while I'm sure it's challenging at times, his dad must be very proud of him."

"Yeah." He cleared his throat. "Thanks, by the way. Y'know, for stoppin' me when I was askin' him about the scrapes on his face… sometimes I lose sight of his limitations. It just pisses me off that he gets messed with like that."

"He gets picked on a lot?"

Michael crossed his arms over his chest, his mind on Joey and the difficulties he faced in school. "He's an easy target because he won't defend himself. He might crush you with a hug, but he'd never hurt anyone intentionally. His classes are at the high school and some of the guys like to rough up the kids in Joey's classes. Last time his face looked like that one of the guys had shoved his head into his locker."

"That's terrible!" Maria could feel herself getting angrier by the second. The thought of someone as sweet as Joey being used as a punching bag by a bunch of guys just because he was different was unbelievable. _Why did they think they had a right to beat up on someone just because they didn't fit into what society accepted as 'normal'? Joey was as sweet as a lamb and because he was a little different those dumbasses made him a target and hurt him. What kind of people knowingly and intentionally hurt someone with a handicap?_ She looked at Michael when he started speaking again.

"He wouldn't tell anyone what had happened, but a few days later I heard a couple of guys talkin' about it and with a little _persuasion_ they gave me the guy's name." He shrugged. "I hear he's developed a fear of lockers… refuses to use one for anything, and no one seems to know why."

_Ha! Now she was recognizing her Michael!_ She had known he wouldn't stand by without doing anything when someone he cared about was being hurt. "What'd you do to him?"

Michael smirked, quite proud of himself. "Guys locker room has full-size lockers, and since he was so damned fond of them I locked him in one for an hour while the rest of us were in class."

"Well, he got off easy in my opinion."

"Yeah, but if I'd done what I really wanted to do word would've gotten around and Joey would've felt like it was his fault, so…" He shrugged. "I settled for somethin' a little more subtle."

_Subtle! _Maria almost burst out laughing at that thought. _Subtlety and Michael were two words which just didn't go together. But for Joey, he had made a huge effort and gone against his nature to find a way to protect him, and to avenge him. Maybe those guys had finally understood the warning once it was handed out Michael-style and they would leave Joey alone._


	33. Chapter 33

**Part 33**

Isabel locked the front door behind her and paused a moment to get her bearings in the dark. Before she had taken more than a few steps, the overhead light in the hallway came on and she blinked at the sudden brightness that assaulted her eyes. For a moment, she was worried that she had been caught coming in after curfew but then she remembered that her parents had planned to be out of town until Sunday afternoon.

"Isn't it a little late for you to be comin' in?"

She turned her head to look at her brother where he stood in the living room doorway. "Isn't it a little creepy for you to be lurking in the dark?"

Max ignored her annoyed tone because he knew she was trying to make him mad so he would lose his train of thought. "It's late; did you just leave Alex's house?"

Isabel frowned, clearly displeased with Max's indiscreet questions. "Not that it's any of your business, but I wasn't with Alex."

"Uh-huh. So, you didn't tell Liz that her friendship with Maria is an acceptable loss… a fair exchange for knowin' our secret?"

Isabel slammed her purse down on the nearest piece of furniture and turned to face her brother fully, intending to make things clear since he was having a problem understanding. "I'm getting tired of defending myself on this subject. You weren't there, listening to the two of them talk; at this rate it's only a matter of time before they tell that motormouth what they've been hiding, and once that happens you can kiss your comfortable life good-bye because we'll be on the run for the rest of our lives."

"Right now, you're a bigger threat than they are," Max snapped. "This attitude you've got is only putting more stress on a situation that's already tense."

_How dare he dictate to her?! Why were they in this situation in the first place? Oh, yeah, because Max had decided to play God with Liz Parker! _ "It's called damage control, Max, and it's your fault we're even in a situation where it's needed. You're the one who ran out and spilled your guts to Liz Parker. Oh, wait, that was right after your stupid decision to heal her in a public location that could've easily exposed both of us!" she shouted.

"She would've died!"

"Well, you've got your way then, haven't you? Mom and Dad don't know the truth about us, but Liz Parker, the love of your life, your soul mate, the object of your pathetic life-long crush does." She didn't even try to stop the bitterness that colored her voice. She was beyond caring at that moment; all she wanted was the solitude offered by the four walls of her bedroom.

Max sighed. _It always came back to that. The pact that they had made a long time ago, about not telling anyone. But this had been a question of life and death. He couldn't just let Liz die, not when he was there and he could stop it. Why couldn't he make her see that? Maybe it was fate for him to save her that day._ "She was dyin', Isabel."

She nodded and turned her head to meet his gaze directly. "And what if, instead of Liz, it had been Alex? Or Maria? Would you have taken that risk?" She shook her head when he averted his gaze. "No, you wouldn't have. The truth is, you risked a secret that isn't yours alone and you did it because you're in love with her. Because deep down you wanted her to know the truth and love you anyway. So, how convenient for you that she's the one who was shot and it's worked out so well for you."

"Yeah, Isabel, it's worked out so well," he snarled. "You wanna stand there and mock my feelings go right ahead, but don't believe for one minute that it's been easy or it's worked out well because it hasn't. Most of the time, we're both so weighed down by guilt that we can't really enjoy the fact that we're together. We've both betrayed someone we care about for the chance to be together and we pay the price for it every damn day."

She stared after him when he shook his head and left the room, taken aback by the quiet intensity of his speech; Max internalized everything, so by the time he finally spoke up he ended up shouting and emotional. She had never known him to be so in control when he was pushed to reveal his deepest feelings.

Going to her room she shut the door and threw herself down on her bed. _Well, _she mused silently, _she had managed to run off everyone who bothered to talk to her in less than thirty-six hours. That had to be some kind of record._

Her friends all thought she had defected to the other side, essentially falling off of the socially acceptable scale, her brother was pissed at her, she was certain Liz didn't like her anyway so she didn't count, and Alex was pissed at her too. Although he was probably the only one who would still be speaking to her tomorrow. She was still trying to decide how she felt about that when she finally fell asleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They paused at the edge of the clearing where the ceremony was going to take place and Maria stared at the people standing around in groups talking. There had to be close to a hundred people scattered around the area and she only recognized a couple of them.

"Um, Michael, how many people are in your family?" she asked, feeling nervous as her gaze scanned over them.

He glanced at Maria, sensing that something was off with her. He could feel the tension in her and as he turned his head to follow her gaze, he realized that she was probably feeling a little overwhelmed. He knew from their conversations that it was just her and her mom, and outside of work and school, she had only had a couple of friends that she really spent any time with.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "Forty-one, forty-two, somethin' like that. I'm not related to everyone here; a lot of them are here to show their support for Kai."

A new voice spoke up, interrupting them. "Well, look who finally got here."

They turned to look at the owner of the voice and Michael grinned at the other man. "Hey, you made it!" he exclaimed. "What happened with the big test? I thought they wouldn't let you reschedule it?"

"They didn't, but I wasn't gonna miss my sister's ceremony because the instructor and the university wouldn't let me take it a day early," the newcomer answered with a big smile on his face, obviously happy to see Michael. "I can take it when I get back on Tuesday but there'll be a late penalty." He shrugged. "It's okay… that'll all change one day."

_He was probably a member of that large family Michael had mentioned, _Maria thought. She observed the two guy together, noticing how easy things seem to be between them.

"Besides, I got an email from a couple different people and they all seemed to be suffering from the same delusion."

"What?" _Huh-uh,_ Michael thought, _here it comes._

"Seems to be some rumor goin' around that you've got a girlfriend." He grinned at Maria. "So, I had to come down and meet this woman I've been hearin' about." He ignored Michael's growled response and held his hand out to the young woman. "You must be Maria." He bumped Michael's shoulder with his own. "I'm Grumpy's cousin, Yancey. I thought I'd offer to introduce you around since Uncle John wanted to talk to Michael when you guys arrived." He pushed against Michael's shoulder and motioned for Maria to walk with him. "I'll take good care of her," he assured his cousin. "Allow me to introduce her around with some semblance of politeness; I'm much better at it than you are."

Michael glanced at Maria for confirmation; he wasn't worried that his cousin would behave inappropriately or anything, and he knew Yancey would handle the introductions better than he would, but he didn't want her to feel like he was just abandoning her.

"I'll be fine, Michael," she assured him with a smile. "Go find out what your dad needs. Just… hurry up."

"Okay."

"So, Maria, how do you feel about politics?"

Michael rolled his eyes and headed off in the opposite direction to find his father.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Eddie was looking for Michael when he spotted Maria surrounded by quite a few of her boyfriend's cousins. It was easy to see that she was out of her element, unused to being around such a large, boisterous group.

"Damn it."

He turned his head when Michael came up from behind him. "You left her alone with that pack of wolves?" he asked.

"I thought Yancey would just keep her occupied with whatever political stuff he's involved with at school and then introduce her around. I hadn't counted on them descending on her like a pack of hungry wolves," he muttered, using Eddie's description of his cousins since is seemed appropriate.

"You're kidding, right?" Eddie shook his head. "The first time you bring a girl around and you didn't think they'd all be curious? How long has she been cornered?"

Michael winced. "Almost forty-five minutes. But it's not my fault, Eddie; I had to go find out what my dad wanted. I swear, my parents don't think I have any self-control. This whole week, every time I turn around they're reminding me that we're here for Kai's ceremony and if Maria and I disappear for more than a couple of minutes, they'll come lookin' for us." He glared at Eddie when he laughed. "What's so damn funny?"

"I was lookin' for you to tell you that your mother's not takin' any chances that you an' Maria are gonna get an opportunity to sneak away. When I got here a couple of hours ago, she was talkin' to your aunts and uncles… explaining the situation and instructing them to keep an eye on the two of you."

Michael made a face. "My mom obviously has issues."

Eddie snorted. "That's most mother's, Michael; trust me, it's not just yours." He nodded at Maria. "You'd better go rescue your girl. I'll catch up with you later."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria's gaze bounced around the group of people surrounding her, wondering how Michael managed to keep track of their names. There were nine of them and if she had understood correctly there was more around that she hadn't met.

She felt like a new species that had been discovered and put out on display. They constantly talked over each other and they jumped from one topic to the next with no noticeable transition. She was having a difficult time following their conversations and she had given up trying to remember who was related to whom.

"Don't you guys have anything better to do?"

She felt her nerves begin to calm down when she heard Michael's familiar growl and a moment later he shouldered his way through the group, which suddenly didn't feel quite so intimidating.

"C'mon, Grumpy, try to be nice for once."

"Why?" He motioned for Yancey to move and dropped into the seat as soon as it was vacated. "Not all of us float around on a cloud of perpetual happiness, Jacey."

The girl rolled her eyes at him, apparently not at all bothered by his words or his tone. "Someone has to balance the scales, and since you're grouchy all the time I have to be happy all the time. You should be thanking me for keeping the universe in order."

Another question popped up and as soon as it was vocalized Michael frowned.

"How much did you pay her to go out with you?"

Michael was turning to glare at Yancey's younger brother, Austin, who had dared to ask the unexpected question when the sound of Maria trying to stifle her laughter caught his attention.

Silence fell over the group as they waited to see how their cousin was going to react to his girlfriend laughing at him in front of his family.

"You think that's funny?" he grumbled, trying to maintain his grouchy expression.

Maria tried not to laugh, she really tried, but the look on his face was too much and she just lost it.

"I want my money back."

She laughed even harder at his response, and briefly wondered if his cousins actually believed that he had paid her to go out with him. She finally decided that they were messing with him when he waved them away and they left after extracting a promise from him that they would get together later.

He slouched down in his chair, shifting his arm slightly when her hand slid into his. He could feel the tension bleeding out of her as she relaxed beside him and he couldn't help but be drawn in by her good mood.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Catherine observed the group of teenagers after her son joined them, her right hand poised above her forehead to block out the worst of the early evening sun. She turned her head when her older brother, Matthew joined her, a scowl on his weathered face.

"You've got something on your mind, Matthew, so just say it and get it over with."

"You let him invite an outsider to my daughter's ceremony?"

"It's perfectly acceptable for him to invite someone that means a great deal to him." She shook her head. "Is it because she's an outsider or because she's White?" Catherine asked, refusing to hide behind a polite façade. Matthew had been against the decision she and John had made to raise Michael as their own, but as a rule he kept his feelings about Whites to himself. She knew he didn't hate White people, he was just highly suspicious of them. At nineteen, he had been the victim of a racially motivated attack that had left him partially paralyzed for more than a year afterwards. Twenty-four years later he was still dependant on a cane because of the damage he had sustained to his left knee.

"You do know that Michael asked Kai if it would be all right with her before he invited his girlfriend, don't you?"

"Yeah," he admitted grudgingly. "She mentioned it."

"Matthew." A sweet, feminine voice broke the awkward moment between the two siblings.

He shifted when his wife, Misty, joined them, hoping she hadn't overheard his conversation with his sister.

"Why don't you go talk to Kai and see if you can calm her down," Misty suggested.

A gentle smile softened his features at the mention of his daughter. "Is she getting nervous?"

"Just a little, but I'm sure you'll be able to settle her nerves."

Catherine watched her brother as he made his way to the area where his daughter was preparing for the ceremony, his slow gait impaired by the old injury.

"He'll be fine after a while, Catherine," Misty assured her sister-in-law. She had heard her husband's comments and she knew the other woman was annoyed. Under normal circumstances Catherine would've simply ignored his words, knowing they weren't meant to harm, but the fact that her son had been mentioned had brought all of her maternal instincts to the surface. "You know he just needs some time to adjust to Michael's girlfriend being here; he wasn't expecting her to be White."

"And that's an excuse for his behavior?" Catherine was getting tired of defending Michael's girlfriend's presence.

Misty sighed and attempted to explain her husband's feelings. "Catherine, you know how he gets, and if it weren't for the fact that this involves your son, you'd be defending Matt, too."

"That is not the point."

Misty shook her head. "That is exactly the point. Y'know he'll relax and be himself after a while. When we leave the Rez, he has time to mentally prepare himself for running into Whites, but it takes a little longer when they show up here on the Rez unexpectedly."

Catherine knew that but she wasn't really in the mood to be patient or understanding. Things were changing for her, too, and she had to adapt. She didn't want to face more problems with her family. "It's just that she's really the first girlfriend Michael's ever had, Misty, and she means enough to him that he invited her out for this."

Misty laughed quietly. "She makes you nervous," she observed. "Your baby boy's all grown up with a serious girlfriend, and you want him to be happy but at the same time you're worried that she's taking him away from you."

"Could you sound any happier about that?" Catherine asked, glaring at her.

"As I recall you gave me a very long lecture about how boys grow up, have girlfriends, go away to college, and make their own lives when Yancey got involved with his first serious girlfriend."

"Yes, well, as much as it pains me to admit it, I obviously didn't know what I was talking about at the time."

Laughter followed Catherine's abrupt departure and Misty watched her go, feeling that this was going to be a very interesting weekend.


	34. Chapter 34

**Part 34**

Maria watched Michael's cousins as they walked away after being dismissed, their voices running together as they talked over each other.

"It didn't occur to me that they'd gang up on you like that otherwise I would've…" He shrugged. "Well, I don't know what I would've done if I'd been expectin' it because it might've been worse if you'd had to endure the parental threats."

Maria laughed, knowing without explanation why his parents had been making threats. "It wasn't that bad; I just couldn't keep track of their names or what they were talking about."

"Yeah, well, that'll get easier with time."

Maria opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again, hesitating as she considered whether or not to bring up a subject that she felt could be perilous. _What if she was mistaken? What if it was all just a big misunderstanding?_ "I don't think your uncle approves of my presence at the ceremony."

Michael looked at her. "What? Which one?"

She had to stop and think about it. _Michael had so many uncles!_ "Yancey's father? I don't remember his name, but he didn't look very happy about me being here."

"Oh, Uncle Matt." He shook his head. "Don't worry about him; he's suspicious of all White people. He didn't approve of my parents' decision to raise me at first, and it took time before he accepted me."

"Why?" Maria was surprised. _Why would anyone refuse to help raise an orphan? Or at least, support other family members who chose to take on that responsibility. _

Michael sighed, knowing that to answer her question he would have to reveal a part of his family's history that wasn't quite so happy. "He was attacked and beaten by a group of White guys when he was nineteen; he was beaten so badly that my grandmother didn't even recognize him at the hospital. My mom said his anger could've easily turned into hate once he regained consciousness and started to recover, but the Great Spirit intervened and redirected his path."

"Really?" Maria was intrigued. "How?"

"Uncle Matt was in a wheelchair for fourteen or fifteen months because he was partially paralyzed and at first he refused to cooperate with the hospital staff, which of course, is predominantly White. He was angry and bitter, and he refused to believe them when they said there was a good chance he would walk again." He paused when a pair of chubby little hands came from behind him to cover his eyes.

Maria shifted in her chair, fascinated by the dark-haired little girl who ducked her head down and giggled quietly. Michael reached back and caught her under the arms, lifting her up effortlessly and expertly flipping her over his shoulder before carefully settling her in his lap.

"This is my cousin, Shysie." He grinned when the little girl scrambled around so that her back was to Maria. "She's five, and she's very shy around anyone she doesn't know." He shrugged and continued with his story once Shysie settled back against his chest, both of her hands wrapping around his right one. "Anyway, the hospital hired a new physical therapist who was assigned to Uncle Matt's case and they practically hated each other on sight. He refused to work with her for a month or so because she's half-White and he didn't trust her; she didn't tell him she was also half-Apache until she had finally earned his trust."

"When was that?"

"The day he walked on his own again." He nodded at his uncle who was standing with a light-skinned woman. "That's also the day he asked her to go out with him."

_Ah, a story that ended the way she liked them to – happily! _"How long have they been married?"

"Twenty-two years now. He doesn't go off the Rez very often because ever since the beating he took, he's not comfortable around Whites. But, don't worry because he'll warm up to you once he's gotten used to you bein' around. He didn't come near me until I had been livin' with my family for almost a year. He's a lot better than he used to be and as long as you don't sneak up on him or anything you'll be fine." He glanced up when he heard someone call his name and he smirked when he saw his sister coming towards them, weighed down by two large black canvas bags.

"I'm not your personal pack mule, y'know," she griped, carefully setting the bags down beside his chair.

"I didn't ask you to haul my equipment out here."

"No, but Mom did; apparently she thinks you need to be busy doing something besides talking to Maria. She said you needed to get set up before the Crowndancers arrive."

"All right." He leaned forward and grabbed one of the bags, unzipping it and pulling out a small toolkit that he handed to Shysie. "I'll be back in a few minutes, Maria," he said, putting his cousin down as he stood and grabbed the bags his sister had been complaining about.

"She'll follow him around all weekend," Maggie said, taking her brother's chair and watching as he walked about fifty yards out before stopping and sitting on the ground. The five-year-old watched every move he made, her gaze intent upon his hands when he spoke and gestured at the same time.

Maria's eyes widened when she realized that the gestures weren't meaningless or random; there was an order to them. "She's deaf," she mused aloud.

"Since she was three."

She looked at Maggie. "She was able to hear for the first three years of her life?" Maggie's expression suddenly turned sad and she knew there was another story behind Shysie's handicap, one that wasn't going to be pretty.

"Um-hmm. Her parents were alcoholics and they just couldn't keep it together, not even for Shy's sake. Her mom was my mom's sister and she tried so hard to help my aunt and uncle, but I don't think they really wanted to be helped. Shy stayed with us off and on, anytime her parents started getting outta control, which was pretty often." She rolled her eyes. "They drank a lot, but when my uncle started to experiment with drugs, my aunt drew the line. She got rid of his drugs one day when he wasn't home and he lost it when he found out." She sighed sadly. "He went into a rage and killed her, and then he went after Shy; she suffered massive head trauma and if the cops had been even a minute later, she would've been killed as well. My uncle's serving life without parole and Shy lives with Uncle Aaron and Aunt Sarah now."

_My God, that was terrible! _Maria hadn't expected such a horrible story; that was the kind of thing she had only ever heard in the news. She shook her head as she looked at Shysie and Michael; they appeared to be very close. Maybe it was because they were both different in their own way. She had noticed the same thing when she had met Joey; Michael had been very comfortable in the other boy's presence too. "So she lost her hearing because of the head trauma?"

"Yeah. Michael took it hard; when Shy used to stay with us, he was always grumbling about her getting into his things and making too much noise, but he just didn't want anyone to know he liked having her underfoot. He stayed at the hospital as much as Mom and Dad would allow, and I think it's a good thing the cops arrested my uncle and took him away before Michael found out about what he'd done. He refused to learn to sign at first because he was sure the doctor's were wrong and he was mad at himself for a long time because he couldn't help her."

Understanding dawned on Maria. _He had those amazing powers –_ _abilities,_ his voice whispered _– but none that could help someone he loved._ "Because healing isn't one of his abilities."

"Right."

Maria watched him as he finished assembling his equipment, pausing here and there to exchange a few words with the little girl who had remained beside him throughout the entire process.

"Do you sign, Maggie?"

The girl smiled. "Yeah, most of my cousins and I have learned it, for Shy's sake. And of course, Uncle Aaron and Aunt Sarah do, too. We help each other in the family, y'know? And besides, it wasn't all that hard."

Maria looked at Maggie and couldn't help the feeling of envy that washed over her. Having a large family, one that would be there for you, help you, never give up on you when you have problems… it must be so great. Oh, she didn't regret living with her mother, but they had no contact with the rest of their family. Maybe it was for the best, though. Who knew what kind of relatives she had? "Why do all of your cousins call him 'Grumpy'?"

Maggie snorted. "You're kidding, right?" She rolled her eyes as she stood up. "You must be in love if you can overlook the fact that he's grumpy most of the time."

"You've gotta be talkin' about Michael," Eddie commented as he joined them.

"See?" Maggie grinned. "I'm gonna go find my seat before the ceremony starts."

"Do you know anything about photography, Eddie?"

"Not much, no. Why?"

Maria frowned. "Well, I'm going on the assumption that the ceremony takes place in the center where those poles are set up, so wouldn't Michael get a better photo opportunity if he were in front instead of at an angle?"

"Probably," Eddie chuckled, "but he'd piss a lot of people off in the process. In this ceremony, the girl must always face east and nothin' should come between her and the sun. The four poles set up in the center are placed so that they line up with the four directions and they're decorated with special artifacts." He leaned in closer to her and pointed. "See the eagle feathers hung above the entrance that faces east? Their presence indicates a sacred purpose and the area with the four poles recreates the place where Changing Woman actually became a woman."

"What're the blankets in the center for?" she asked curiously.

"The blankets are covered with a deer hide, and near the front there's a turquoise stone with an eagle feather tied to that's been attached to the hide. They're for part of the ceremony that will actually seem physically impossible. The ceremony will begin shortly and Kai will be at the center, the medicine man and the singers will stand behind her, and when they sing they'll keep their hands over their mouths to prevent malicious spirits from sneaking in and creating mischief. The Crowndancers should be here any time now to purify the area before the ceremony begins."

Maria tried to remember what her mother had taught her about Native American customs, but it had been a while since she had talked about them. "Crowndancers?"

"They're impersonating the Mountain Spirits and it's their job to rid the area of any evil spirits before the ceremony begins. After that, as the sun begins to set the medicine man will set out the items she will use during the ceremony and her sponsor will prepare her. Then, there'll be prayers, and once the sun has set she'll begin dancing; this'll last for hours and then most of us will retire for the night."

"Does everyone stay for the entire ceremony?" _This was going to last much longer than she had thought. They had to be exhausted by the end of the weekend._

"Yeah, for the most part. There'll be a few who'll probably leave when things wind down tonight; folks with small children and some of the older folks who can't quite take sleepin' on the ground in a tent any longer, but they'll be back in the mornin' at daybreak." His sharp gaze watched her as she looked around at the people who were beginning to settle down for the long evening ahead. She was observing the activity going on around them, but she seemed to be drawn to those she had been introduced to. "Can I give you a little bit of advice?" he asked.

Maria turned to look at him. "Sure."

"They're people just like you." He waved his hand, the motion encompassing everyone at the ceremony. "Don't let them intimidate you or make you uncomfortable; Michael invited you and that gives you the right to be here."

"His family is just so…" She trailed off, at a loss for words.

"Big? Loud?" He laughed. "Yeah, they take some getting used to, that's for sure. It was just me and my mom for a while after my dad died, so I know how you feel, bein' surrounded by such a large family. They can be overwhelming but once they accept you, things'll smooth out."

Maria chewed on her thumbnail. "Do you think they'll accept me?"

"Respect our people, respect our customs, and treat him right." He smiled reassuringly. "They'll accept you, Maria; it'll take time for some of them, but I think they can see how the two of you feel about each other. Just be patient and let them accept you when they're ready."

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John sat down in one of the folding lawn chairs and stretched his legs out, relieved to be off of his feet. Due to an unusually large order made by one of the factory's customers they had been working double shifts for the past week and he was exhausted. He closed his eyes to rest them for a few minutes, hoping he could stay awake until the ceremony concluded for the night.

"You and Catherine are just determined to turn the Rez White, aren't you?"

He seriously considered just pretending to be asleep but experience told him his brother's disapproving ex-wife wasn't going to go anywhere until she'd had her say. "What can I do for you, Dawn?"

"You can explain why you keep bringing Whites onto the Rez. Don't you think they've taken enough from us?"

He glanced around for a few seconds. "We're not on the Rez."

"You know what I'm talking about," Dawn snapped, not amused by his flippant remark.

John's gaze was impassive as he looked at her. She had been an attractive woman with a mostly kind heart at one time, but bitterness had turned her into a mere shell of the woman she used to be. "Maybe you need to stop worryin' about what my wife and I are doin' and worry about the example you're settin' for your son," he suggested.

"What?" Dawn was ready to snap. Here he was, acting smug while he was slowly corrupting their family and the entire Rez and he was accusing _her_ of being a bad parent?

"Do you really want him crippled like this? He's turned into a racist and one day he's gonna hurt or kill someone over it."

"You can thank your brother for that – "

John's response was quick and to the point. He wasn't going to let that witch sit there and blame his brother for the situation she and her son were in. "Randolph didn't turn you or Dakota into racists; you did that on your own. You turned that boy against his father and then you turned him against Whites. My brother's no saint but he never cheated on you, he never treated you badly, and he's not the one who filed for divorce."

Dawn refused to budge, clinging to her convictions. "He made his choice."

John shook his head. It was an argument that he wouldn't win anyway so he attempted to redirect the conversation. "How's Dakota doin' in school?"

She wasn't gonna let him change the subject. Whites were only causing problems and he had to open his eyes about them sooner or later. "Stop bringing Whites to the Rez, John."

John's voice rose slightly in response to her statement. His son was a part of their family, just like Dakota or Joey. He wasn't gonna let Dawn treat his boy like an outsider who didn't belong there. Michael and the family that he would build in the future would always be members of their family, nothing she or anyone else said would ever change that. "I'm not gonna interfere in my son's relationship, Dawn, and the way things are goin', you might as well get used to seein' her around."

Dawn was gritting her teeth as she faced her obtuse ex-brother-in-law. "I'm not the only one who doesn't appreciate the way you welcome Whites onto the Rez. I'm not the only one who didn't approve of Michael – "

"That's fine," he interrupted. "Catherine and I never asked for your approval or permission because we didn't need it then and we certainly don't need it now. I'm not makin' any apologies to you or anyone else for the decision we made to raise Michael as our own."

"Take a walk, Dawn," Catherine advised as she sat down on John's right side. "The ceremony's starting and it would be inappropriate to cause a scene."

Dawn whirled around to face her worst nightmare: Catherine. The two women exchanged icy glares, each daring the other to say the word that would turn the entire situation into a full-blown argument. "I'm not causing a scene."

"No, but if you say one more word about our son, _I _will cause a scene. So take your racist attitude and go sit somewhere else." Catherine didn't mince words or bother with pleasantries because it would only be a wasted effort. Dawn had never approved of Michael becoming part of their family but she hadn't become so vocal about it until she had found out about the child her husband had fathered with a White woman.

"Why do you let her get under your skin like that?" John asked after Dawn left them alone. "She does it to get a rise out of us and you fall for it every time." He shook his head as he reached over to take her hand. "He's not a little boy anymore, Cath; you don't have to come chargin' in like an avenging angel every time someone says somethin' about him."

"He'll always be my little boy," she insisted stubbornly. "And I will not just sit back and let people make snide comments about him."

"I'm just sayin' you should pick your battles, and that's one that isn't worth fightin'. We're not gonna change the way she feels about Whites by arguin' with her."

Catherine groaned. "Well, it doesn't help any that he invited his girlfriend."

John watched her carefully, wondering if she was regretting Maria being there for the ceremony. It had been important to their son so they had agreed, but it looked like Catherine was having second thoughts. "And you've been defending his decision since we got here."

"Just because I defend his _right _to make that decision doesn't mean that I agree with it."

He easily read between the lines. Years of being married to the complicated, and at times, infuriating, woman, allowed him to read his wife's hidden feelings. "You don't agree with it because it means Maria's important enough to him that he wants to introduce her to his whole family – "

"Hush," Catherine interrupted, "the ceremony's starting."

"You said the Great Spirit would bring someone – "

"Do not bring the Great Spirit into this, Jonathan. Now, hush."

John's gaze turned to the Crowndancers as they made their first appearance, performing their ritualistic dance to purify the site and banish any evil spirits that were foolish enough to be hanging around. As he watched the men dance, their faces covered with colorful masks that represented the Mountain Spirits, his mind wandered to his wife.

Catherine was having a difficult time dealing with Michael's new relationship and despite her claims to the contrary, he knew she wasn't completely happy about Maria's sudden presence in their son's life. She wanted Michael to be happy and she had always said that she wanted him to find a nice girl who could love him and accept him for who he was, but she had obviously never considered that if and when that happened, she would no longer be the most important woman in his life. She had held that place for nearly twelve years without challenge and in less than a month, she had realized that Maria was going to be the one to replace her in Michael's life.

On top of that, she was dealing with the fact that both of their children would be graduating and leaving for college before long. His gaze wandered over to Maggie where she was sitting with some of her cousins, talking and laughing quietly so they wouldn't disturb the ceremony. He shifted to look at Michael who had apparently finished taking pictures for a while because he was sitting with Maria once more. His gaze dropped down to the little girl in his son's lap; Shysie worshipped the ground Michael walked on and she rarely left his side when the family got together. He smiled at the picture his son made as he sat there, Shysie in his lap and Maria next to him; it wasn't that difficult to imagine them as a family.

His head jerked around when Catherine elbowed him in the ribs and he realized that the medicine man had stepped forward to begin offering prayers. He settled into his chair more fully, getting comfortable for the evening ahead.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael looked up a couple of hours later when someone tapped on his shoulder and he nodded when Shysie's adoptive mother, Sarah, motioned at the little girl who had been asleep for a while.

"She'll be looking for you first thing in the morning," she whispered as he shifted Shysie into her arms.

He shrugged. "She knows where to find me."

"Are you sure you don't mind?" She nodded meaningfully at Maria who was fully engrossed in the ceremony.

"My family's important to me, Aunt Sarah, that hasn't changed just because I've got a girlfriend. She understands that."

"She'll be looking for you at breakfast."

Michael shrugged again before sitting back down. "Like I said, she knows where to find me."

Maria leaned in closer to Michael after his aunt left so she could ask a question that had been on her mind for a while. "Michael, where does everyone sleep?"

"Tents. You'll be bunkin' with Maggie and a few of the older girls; the guys bunk together too, and the younger kids stay with their parents. You should be okay though; the girls are pretty easy to get along with, but if any of them give you any trouble just let me know."

"I can take care of myself, y'know," Maria said, touched – and slightly amused – that he wanted her to know she could come to him if his cousins got out of hand and he would take care of it.

Michael shrugged. "I'm just sayin'."

She looked away to keep from laughing at his offended expression. "Well, I appreciate it, and if it becomes necessary I will let you know."

Michael's response was cut short when Maggie joined them and sat on Maria's other side. She nodded at her brother before turning her attention to his girlfriend.

"Hey, I'm gonna call it a night pretty soon so I thought I'd ask if you wanted to do the same? That way you can get in first and not have to worry about getting in the tent after everyone else's already there because that can be kinda uncomfortable, bein' the new kid on the block and all."

Maria nodded. "Okay."

"Cool, I'll swing by in a little bit to get you."


	35. Chapter 35

**Part 35**

Maria settled down on the sleeping bag next to Maggie's and smiled at the other girl. "Thanks. Y'know, for suggesting this; I think you're right about it being a little easier this way."

"Sure, no problem." Maggie set the lantern in the center of the floor of the large tent and slid into her own sleeping bag. "Generally no one means any harm, but our family's one of those where everybody's always sticking their noses into everybody else's business, so any advantage is a good advantage."

Maria laughed. "I guess you've got a good point; I've never really thought about it."

"Large families are cool because even though they're far from perfect, it's a support system that just can't be beat." She looked up when the flap at the opening was pushed aside and Jacey ducked inside and dove into the nearest sleeping bag.

"It's cold out there," she hissed as she curled up and tucked the bag close around her. "I thought it was supposed to stay at least in the fifties tonight."

"Where'd you get that idea?" Maggie asked. "It's easily gonna drop into the forties and with the way that wind's blowing it'll probably feel even colder."

"That makes me feel much better, Maggie, thank you."

Jacey's disgusted expression caused Maggie to laugh. _Her cousin was behaving like a city girl! _"Careful, Jace, you're tipping the scales of the universe in Grumpy's direction."

"Well, we can't have that," Jacey giggled. She sat up and high-fived the girl who had just entered and sat down next to her. "You met Maria earlier didn't you, Shawnee?"

"Yeah." She raised one eyebrow as her gaze settled on Jacey's huddled-up form. "Are you cold?"

"Ya think?" _No, really, who wouldn't be comfortable when it was so friggin' cold outside? _Jacey was definitely not in a good mood. _She hated freezing her ass off in a tent, in the middle of the desert. If it weren't for Kai she wouldn't be doing this!_

"Unzip your bag." As soon as the bag was unzipped she zipped their sleeping bags together and slid in, jumping when one of Jacey's bare feet brushed against hers. "Good grief, Jace, you feel like a block of ice."

"Like you never get cold."

Shawnee smirked. "Not often."

Jacey made a face. _No need to know more, but she knew it was coming. _"Yeah, well, the rest of us don't have a six-foot-three Marine to keep our beds warm."

"Too bad for you." Shawnee winked. "I'd definitely recommend getting one."

"Do we wanna know what you guys are talking about?"

They looked up when three more girls piled into the tent, taking up the remaining sleeping bags and Shawnee leaned over to zip the tent flap closed against the wind.

"We were talking about Shawnee's fiancé," Jacey answered before introducing the newcomer's to their cousin's girlfriend. The two sisters, Summer and Sierra were quick to strike up a conversation with Maria, but Shyanne, as usual, hung back and contributed to the conversation only when someone spoke directly to her.

"Okay, I love Michael, but you've gotta tell me what in the world drew you to the bear because…" Summer trailed off when Maria giggled. "What?"

"You call him _the bear_?" She wondered if Michael knew about the nickname his cousins used for him.

"You've been going out with him for a while now," Sierra spoke up, her tone one of disbelief. "You must know what his personality's like."

Maria laughed. _Yeah, she knew her Spaceboy quite well. He was tough on the outside but he was a big teddy bear on the inside. _"His bark's a lot worse than his bite."

"Well," Shawnee yawned as she slid further down in the sleeping bag, "you're either very brave or very insane; I just haven't decided which category you fall into yet." She used her elbow to nudge Jacey between her shoulder blades. "No snoring, no cuddling, and no drooling, got it? Do any of those things and you'll spend the night sleeping outside."

Jacey groaned. _Tonight was gonna be a long one, she could feel it! _"How'd you manage to keep a Marine with rules like that?"

"First, he's been trained to sleep without making a sound. Second, if he drools – and I'm not saying that he does – well, his unit did capture a known terrorist recently, so since he's a war hero I suppose I can overlook that. And third, he can cuddle all he wants because… well, that's none of your business. All you need to know is you're not my type."

Jacey snorted into her pillow. "I am so calling him when he gets stateside just so I can ask him if he knows what he's getting himself into when he marries you."

"Okay, seriously, what attracted you to the bear?" Summer asked, bringing the topic back to what she felt was the most important information to be gathered.

"His intensity, his eyes, his voice, the way he growls when he's aggravated or annoyed about something…" She nodded. "Which, admittedly, is fairly often, but that's just part of what makes him who he is."

Summer and Sierra exchanged a look before nodding and speaking at the same time. "Girl's gotta be in love."

"The list goes on and on and you guys probably don't really wanna know everything about him that I find attractive." Maria smirked, knowing that Maggie being there was probably the only thing preventing her from listing any more of Michael's… _hmmm, attributes._

"I'm gonna have to agree with that statement," Maggie laughed. She leaned over to turn the lantern off before snuggling into her sleeping bag. "That's probably a lot more than I really want to know about my brother." She sighed sleepily. "I'm going to bed and I'll see you guys in the morning."

Maria curled up on her left side and closed her eyes, but her thoughts were too active to let her sleep. It had been a day filled with new information about Michael, his family, and the traditions that meant so much to all of them. He was tied to his community in a way that was completely new to her, his connection to the people stronger than she had expected. She knew, of course, that he was close to his immediate family, but the depth of the bond he shared with all of them was so strong it was almost a tangible thing. She was still processing everything that she had seen and learned that day when she heard a zipper rasp loudly in the silence and she shivered when a cold rush of air blew inside the tent before the flap was closed once more.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The camp had been quiet for a while when the sound of a zipper sliding open caused Catherine's eyes to snap open. When she heard the sound again, just minutes later, she reached out and shook her husband's shoulder.

"John, wake up!"

"C'mon, Cath, we've only got a few hours before – "

"How can you sleep?"

"Because I'm tired?" He tried to roll over to go back to sleep but she wouldn't let go of his shoulder.

"You need to go check on Michael and Maria."

John sighed tiredly, the sound tinged with impatience. "Catherine, would you just let it go? What do you really think they're gonna get up to? Good grief, woman, it's cold out there." He gave up on rolling over and settled down on his back. "It's forty degrees and the wind certainly isn't makin' it any warmer out there."

Catherine's glare was cold enough to rival the wind outside. "What is your point?"

John rolled his eyes to the heavens, praying for help from above. "My point is that your baby boy's virtue is safe tonight; no guy is gonna willingly expose the family jewels when it's this cold outside. Besides, when they decide to take their relationship to that level, I doubt they'll want to be surrounded by his family or out in the cold."

"How can you be so unconcerned about this?"

"Because you're concerned enough for both of us. We raised Michael right and we need to trust him to make the right decisions." He came up on one elbow and leaned down to kiss her. "Now, get some sleep."

Catherine huffed indignantly when John rolled over and went right back to sleep. She couldn't believe he was accepting their son's relationship so easily or that he wasn't losing any sleep over it. She unzipped the sleeping bag and was shifting to get up when John's hand clamped around her wrist.

"Don't do this, Catherine. You need to find a way to deal with this, but following them around isn't the way to do it. All you're gonna do is send him the message that you don't trust him and you'll lose him over it. He's always gonna be your little boy, Cath, but at some point, you're gonna have to let him go so he can become the man he's gonna be. Now, promise me you're gonna stay right here and leave the boy alone tonight."

"Fine."

"Catherine," he growled softly.

He was not going to budge on this. Catherine could see it in his set expression and hear it in his tone, and she knew she had lost any chance of getting her way this time. "I promise. There, now do you feel better?"

"I'd feel better if you'd stop worryin' about this and let me get some sleep."

"I'm sorry, honey; I know you're exhausted." She lay back down beside him and tried to force her thoughts away from her son and his girlfriend. "Go back to sleep, John."

"You're gonna be fine now?"

"Until morning anyway."

John chuckled. "That's okay, I'll be a little more ready to deal with this after I've had some sleep."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria crept out of the tent and secured the flap before following after the quiet girl who had been gone for close to fifteen minutes. The full moon overhead provided enough light to show the girl standing at the edge of the camp, her posture rigid as she stared out into the desert. She coughed quietly as she got closer to let the other girl know she wasn't alone.

"No reception?" she asked, motioning at the cell phone clutched in Shyanne's white-knuckled grip.

"Not a single bar."

"You were calling a friend?"

Shyanne sniffled and turned her head to dry her damp eyes. "My best friend." She cleared her throat. "My fiancé, Nick, actually. He wanted to be here but I wouldn't let him come."

Maria leaned back against a large boulder and pulled her jacket tighter around herself. "Why?"

"No one here besides my parents even knows about him and I figured they wouldn't want him here anymore than they want me or my mom here, so…"

"You're part of their family, Shyanne." _Was there a problem with her boyfriend? Had she mentioned a girlfriend, Maria couldn't understood, but a boyfriend? Had he just been released from jail or something?_

Shyanne hesitated before answering. _How much had Michael told Maria about her and her parents? _"Well, you may have noticed that I wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms."

"You don't strike me as the type of person to let that bother you."

Shyanne chuckled. "On my own turf it wouldn't bother me, but here, I'm so far away from everything I know…" She shrugged. "What about you?"

Maria gave it a thought but after a few seconds she shook her head and admitted honestly that it didn't really bother her. _They didn't know her, so their reaction to her was normal. _"I think my situation's a little different; I'm dating Michael, I'm not related to him."

"Michael isn't my problem. He's been very nice, and so have some of the others, but mostly I just feel like I don't belong here… with them."

Maria straightened up, her full attention on Shyanne now. _Why would she say that? She was half-Native American; she had come to an important ceremony, so why did she feel so set apart from them? _When Shyanne didn't offer more information she changed the subject. "Where does your fiancé live?"

"We have an apartment off-campus in Austin."

"You should talk to your aunt about inviting him to the barbeque on Sunday."

Shyanne looked at her, considering her words. "You think so?"

"They're people just like you, Shyanne, and in this case they're also your family. And the next time they start talking about Shawnee's fiancé, open your mouth and tell them about Nick. A little bit of common ground's a good place to start."

"Nick, he's Australian, and the first time he met my dad he thought he was an aborigine. My dad gave him hell over that for months."

Maria laughed. "Well, at least he shouldn't make that mistake again."

"It wasn't meant as a racial slur or anything, that's just what the natives are called where he's from. Dad has a great sense of humor though; it didn't offend him when Nick called him an aborigine."

Maria laughed. _Men were like a different species, sometimes. _"Guys don't always think before they speak. Your cousin Austin actually asked Michael how much he paid me to go out with him."

Their laughter was cut short when the wind picked up, sending an icy blast of air across skin that was already chilled.

"And on that note, maybe we should call it a night."

They ran back to the tent and hurried to get inside so they could bundle up in their sleeping bags.

"Hey, where'd you guys go?" Maggie asked sleepily.

"I was trying to make a call," Shyanne admitted when Maria nudged her.

"Reception's crap out here," Sierra mumbled.

"Yeah, there're only like two places you can get a decent signal around here," Summer said.

"D'you guys mind?" Shawnee grumbled. "I'd like to take advantage of the peace and quiet."

"We'll show you where to get a good signal in the morning, Shyanne," Maggie offered.

"Thank God," Shawnee huffed when silence fell over them. Sleep was once more within her grasp when a loud snore was generated from Jacey's side of the sleeping bag followed by laughter from her tent-mates.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Eddie was already outside drinking a cup of coffee when Michael crawled out of the tent early the next morning.

"You overslept," he said. "Catherine said to tell you to get a move on or the cornbread'll all be gone."

"Overslept," Michael growled. "It's still nighttime. How you oversleep when it's not even time to get up yet?"

"Go do what you've gotta do to get ready." His gaze raked over the younger man. "You certainly don't want Maria to see you like this." He chuckled when Michael snarled at him before stalking off.

The stars were beginning to disappear when they walked into the area of camp that had been designated as the 'kitchen' area.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite little ray of sunshine," Jacey called out as they passed by the picnic table she was sitting at with her tent-mates.

Michael ignored them when they followed up with a cheery chorus of _good morning, sunshine_ in happy, sing-songy voices. "Mornin', Mom," he mumbled in greeting, accepting the plate she held out to him. "No cornbread?"

"You know better than that." Catherine smiled at his disappointed tone and reached up to pat his cheek. "Good morning, sweetie." She picked up a potholder to lift the lid off of a cast iron pan that she had just removed from the open fire and then used the spatula to cut a sizable piece that she slid onto his waiting plate. "The hot sauce is on that table behind you and if you'll hold on just a minute, I'll have Shysie's plate ready too."

"She's already up?" he asked in disbelief.

"Of course."

He was sliding the bottle of hot sauce into his shirt pocket when the little girl in question tugged on his shirttail. He set his plate down and crouched down to her level to converse with her until her plate was ready.

A few minutes later he set their plates down on the girls' table and picked Shysie up to sit her on the bench. He accepted the small bottle of milk she held out to him and he peeled the tab off of it, shaking it and popping the top off before setting it on the table in front of her. He sat down and picked up the bottle of orange juice Shysie had carried to the table for him, glancing around suspiciously when he realized his girlfriend wasn't sitting at the table with the rest of them.

"Where's Maria?"

"Making a phone call," Shyanne answered. "I think she was calling her mom."

"You have such a sunny disposition," Jacey said, shaking her head when he grunted in response to Shyanne's answer.

"Nobody likes you, y'know," he growled.

"Nobody likes you either, but in your case it's completely justified," she fired right back.

Maria stood back, watching them as they traded insults back and forth. There was no heat behind their words and they seemed to enjoy it just as much as their audience. Their personalities were complete opposites but that only seemed to fuel the fire of their sparring matches.


	36. Chapter 36

**Part 36**

Eddie loped across the open area between the parking lot and where the ceremony was being held and hurried to take the seat next to Maria. The chair on her right side was empty and a quick glance to his right showed Michael busy setting his camera equipment up again.

"How're you doin' this mornin'?" he asked, smiling when Maria tried to hide a yawn.

"Still trying to wake up," she admitted. "I never get up this early at home."

"I'll let you in on a little secret… my girlfriend doesn't either." He held his cell phone up before leaning to the side to slide it into his pocket. "She gave me an earful for callin' this early and wakin' her up."

Maria laughed and shook her head. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who isn't an early riser; everyone I've seen this morning seems to be used to the early hours. Although Michael didn't look terribly alert at breakfast."

"Just one more reason why he's been nicknamed 'the bear'. He's not normally up this early and he's not that fond of pre-dawn either."

"That's because it's still nighttime," Michael growled as he sat down on Maria's right side.

"What happened to your sidekick?" Eddie asked, noticing that Shysie wasn't with him.

"She's a smart kid; she went back to sleep after breakfast." He slouched down in his seat and rubbed his eyes. "She's with her parents."

"Is the ceremony getting ready to start again?"

Eddie turned his head, following Maria's gaze to the sudden flurry of activity taking place in front of them before glancing at the faint pink and purple streaks that were decorating the early morning sky. "Yeah."

"Is the ceremony for more than one girl?" she asked, noticing that there were two girls standing at the center.

"Well, that's not unheard of to cut down on costs, but no, the second girl is a friend of Kai's. She's allowed to have a friend who's already been through her own ceremony to dance with her and to provide support. As they dance, the medicine man and singers will remain behind them, and he'll lead the singers in chants that'll be sung in groups of four. This will go on for several hours and she'll continue dancing, staring into the sun the whole time."

"Does she get to rest at all?"

"Not really. The next part of the ceremony is the part that I told you will seem to be impossible. Have you ever heard our Creation story?"

Maria's gaze moved from the dancing girls to Eddie. "No."

"According to our beliefs, Changing Woman came into existence here, in what is known as the Glittering World, or, the fourth world. Her parents, First Man and First Woman came here from the First World, traveling here through a magic reed. First Man was created from a meeting of white and black clouds in the East, while First Woman was created from a meeting of yellow and blue clouds in the West. Spider Woman who was responsible for teaching the women to weave accompanied them from the First World. Their first order of business was to build a sweat house where they sang the Blessing Song and after being instructed by Talking God, they built the first house and met there to begin arranging the world." He smiled. "Following me so far?"

"Yes, keep going." Maria was fascinated by their colorful mythology.

"At this point they had to name their sacred boundaries; the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff are the boundary in the West and represent the Abalone and Coral stones. The Eastern boundary is represented by Mt. Blanco, in Colorado, and it also represents the White Shell stone. Now, East of Grants, New Mexico you've got Mt. Taylor, which represents the Southern boundary and the Turquoise stone. Last, you've got the Northern boundary, also in Colorado, Mt. Hesperus, the representation for the Black Jet stone. Once the mountains were placed in their proper locations, the Holy People placed the sun and moon in the sky.

But, while they were carefully putting the stars in the sky, the trickster, or Coyote, came along and quickly became impatient with the way things were progressing. So, he picked up the blanket where the stars lay and flung it out, scattering them across the sky. Despite Coyote's interference the Holy People continued to create things necessary to everyday life… trees, clouds, rain… anything that they deemed necessary. After some time had passed evil monsters appeared and immediately began to kill the new Earth People. The miraculous birth of Changing Woman would bring about change because after marrying and becoming impregnated by the Sun she would give birth to twin sons; Monster Slayer and Child-Born-of-Water. Their father, the Sun, gave them lightening bolts, weapons that would allow them to fight the monsters. Once the monsters had been defeated the Holy People created the four clans and each made their own contributions to help the tribes grow and prosper."

"What happened to Changing Woman?" Maria asked. "That can't be the end of her story."

"No, of course not. Being married to the Sun, the only way that Changing Woman was able to spend her evenings with him was to live on an island in the western sea. The island was made of rock crystal and her home made of the four sacred stones, but as the days are long she eventually became lonely and so she created four clans from flakes of her skin. Eventually her clans learned that there were other humans in the East and that they shared a common heritage, and they wanted to go and meet them so they sought permission from Changing Woman. She allowed them to leave, and they traveled for many, many nights to reach the four clans where they joined together to live. Legend has it that at the end of her life Changing Woman walked toward the Sun and met her younger self and became young again."

"So, the next part of the ceremony represents which part of the Creation story?"

"For the next part of the ceremony, Kai will sit cross-legged on the deer hide, at the center of the four sacred directions, and she'll have to hold her hands at a specified height and in a specific manner while swaying from North to South, touching Mother Earth each time."

"Wow, that doesn't seem like it's even physically possible."

"No, it doesn't. And on top of that, it can last for hours; she doesn't stop until the medicine man and singers have finished singin' the last chant. As always, throughout the ceremony she faces east and the next part represents the moment when Changing Woman was penetrated by the Sun, thus, changing her into a woman."

"So, it represents her first period?"

"Yeah. Once that part is over, she receives a massage."

"That must be a relief." She turned her head when Michael shifted and she smiled at the little girl that was sleepily climbing up to sit in his lap.

"You would think so, wouldn't you?" Eddie chuckled when her curious gaze swung back to him. "The massage is done by having someone step on strained or sore muscles to get her ready for the next challenge. But Kai isn't allowed to simply lie there while the massage takes place; she has to keep her head up, facing the sun, and she has to maintain this position while a series of chants are sung. Once that's finished, she'll dance again and then she must run around a cane that the medicine man will place a distance from her before runnin' back to her original position. Each time she reaches her starting point, the medicine man'll move the cane further East and she'll be required to run farther and faster. Once she's done that four times, she'll run around the cane in the other three sacred directions, and then she'll begin dancing again."

Maria shook her head, shocked at how long, painful and tiring this ceremony was for young girls. _Where did they find the courage, the strength, to still stand up by the end of the weekend?_ She was feeling tired just by hearing what was about to happen to them, today. "Girls must go through a lot of training for this."

"Kai's been trainin' for this for more than a year," Michael said, joining in the conversation. He was impressed by what his cousin was accomplishing.

Eddie's voice interrupted Michael's thoughts and he turned towards his friend, watching him as he continued his little history lesson for Maria. "Now, see the baskets lined up to the East from Kai's position?"

Maria stretched to see what Eddie was talking about. _Huh, yeah, she could see them._ She groaned her answer while sitting back. "Um-hmm."

"Well, they're filled with coins, candy, and other small things that represent blessings; most girls who've gone through the ceremony say that it's a pretty scary part. Because in the next stage, the medicine man pours the baskets' contents over the girl's head and everyone gathers around and makes a grab for the blessings."

Maria looked at the long line of hand-woven baskets stretching out in the distance. "_All_ of the baskets?"

"All of them. When they've all been emptied, she'll begin dancing again while everyone lines up to bless her; it begins with the medicine man sprinkling a powder called good-medicine over her head and blessing the girl. Then there are prayers while the good-medicine is sprinkled over her sponsor, the medicine man, and finally the eagle feather attached to the deer hide. As you can imagine with so many people present, it'll take a while for that part to be completed. It's believed that during and immediately after the ceremony, the girl is filled with the healing powers of Changing Woman."

"Really? That's so fascinating." Maria was amazed by everything that the girls went through during the ceremony. "Have you ever seen any of the girls actually heal someone?"

"I've seen things happen that I can't explain," Eddie admitted. "I've seen the sick touched by girls possessing Changing Woman's power become well again, so I certainly don't discount the possibility that after completing the ceremony, they have the ability to heal people for a short length of time."

"So, it only lasts for a little while?"

"Yeah, it's only temporary. After the blessings have all been made, it'll be late afternoon or early evening and then everyone will go back to camp while the clean-up crew readies the area for the part of the ceremony that takes place at night."

"The girls must be so exhausted by the time the ceremony ends." Maria settled back in her chair to watch the ceremony. She squinted against the sun's early rays as it began its climb into the sky and she wondered how anyone was able to stare directly into the sun for hours on end; it just didn't seem possible.

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Nina Blackhawk leaned against the counter beside the cash register and watched Amy count the same product for the third time. She had been born and raised in Seattle, the only child her Choctaw mother had given birth to. She had never met her father and her mother had said very little about him; she only knew he was Choctaw like her mother, but the woman had taken any other information to her grave. She had worked with Amy for close to ten years and they had been friends even longer. They had met during a protest march in Washington, D.C. and they had connected immediately, working together over the years to plan events and bonding over life's challenges.

She had moved to Roswell after Amy had told her about her plan to open the shop and while helping her get the place up and running Nina had realized that an opportunity had

presented itself. Now, she owned the little shop next door that catered to tourists with a curiosity about mysticism.

They helped each other out with their businesses and anything else that came up. She had no children of her own, but she had watched Maria countless times over the years when Amy had gone out of town for conventions or on buying trips, immensely enjoying the young girl's quirky behavior. The teenager was smart like her mother and she had inherited her father's artistic gene, but she had definitely gotten the best of both of them.

She watched Amy as she frowned, pen poised above the inventory list on the clipboard she held for a full minute before she pulled the same product container out again.

"How many times are you gonna count the contents of that box?" Nina asked finally.

"As many times as it takes apparently." Amy stared at the clipboard for several minutes before sighing loudly and shaking her head. "I've just got so much on my mind that I can't seem to focus on anything."

"Is everything okay with Maria? You weren't lying when you told her you were fine with this weekend, were you?"

"No. Maria's an intelligent young woman and I trust her to make the right decisions." She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Besides, Michael's mother isn't gonna let them get up to anything."

"What do you think of him?"

She crossed the room and dropped the clipboard on the counter by the register before reaching for one of the stools that she had added when Maria and her friends had started hanging around the shop a few years ago. "She's dated off and on but she's never really gotten serious about any of the guys. Michael's different though; he listens to her, he doesn't just blow off things that she feels are important, and he challenges her."

"I'd like to meet him."

"You will. I don't know when, but you will."

"Okay, so if it's not Maria that's got you so distracted, what is it?" She pulled out the other stool and sat down, waiting patiently for her friend to decide what she wanted to say.

"I told you I've been seeing someone."

"He wants to meet your daughter," Nina guessed.

"Among other things." Amy sighed. "It's not that I don't want them to meet, I just really need to figure some things out first."

"That sounds pretty serious."

Amy hadn't allowed any man to get too close since she and Maria's dad had gone their separate ways, so Nina knew how significant Amy's admission was.

"I've been thinking about taking a trip to Sedona, maybe spending a few days at the institute so I can try to clear my head."

"Well, the institute's a good place to do that. So, what's holding you back? You know the director; give her a call and tell her it's important and that you need some time to meditate and work some things out. Y'know she'll get you in."

"I know." She tapped her pen against the clipboard.

"Maria will be fine if you take off for a few days," she assured her friend. "And if you've been as distracted at home as you've been here today, I think she'll understand."

"She's been having such a hard time recently with the whole Liz and Alex thing…"

"You know it's not the same thing, Amy. You're not deserting her; you're taking off for a few days to get your thoughts together. I can keep an eye on the shop and check in on her, and if she needs anything I'm only a phone call away." She reached out to pluck the pen from Amy's fingers. "Why don't you go make that call while I get started on the inventory?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Alex walked beside Liz as they left the movie theater, his thoughts on his silent friend. Neither of them had paid much attention to the movie, each of them lost in their own thoughts. He wished he knew what to say to help Liz deal with the situation because then maybe he'd be able to deal with it himself.

"I think maybe it's time to let Maria go, Alex," Liz said finally.

"What?"

"I think trying to hold onto her is only causing more pain for all of us and if we keep going on this way, we're eventually gonna destroy any future chance we might have of fixing our friendship with her."

He sighed roughly. "You're probably right. I wish we could convince them that she can be trusted."

"That won't happen anytime soon. New friends, a new boyfriend… Max was pretty clear that her new relationships make her an even bigger risk than she was before. I know what we're doing to her isn't fair; I knew that before her _boyfriend_ shared his opinion with me, but if he can be believed, she's having a harder time dealing with this than I thought she was."

"Boy, you really don't like him, do you?" Given her reaction to him, Alex was curious about the guy that Maria was dating, but the fact that Liz was still smarting from his comments from the night before had him concerned. It wasn't normal for her to dislike people based on a first impression; Liz was usually an even-tempered individual, so for her to dislike the guy immediately made him wonder what he was like.

"No, I don't like him. I'm telling you, Alex, he's nothing like the guys Maria normally goes out with; I can't imagine what they have in common."

"I'm sure if Maria's mom agreed to her spendin' the weekend with this guy and his family, he must be okay. Right? I mean, Amy's pretty laid-back and all, but she wouldn't let Maria go out with someone who was dangerous."

"He's a jerk." She sighed. "I just don't see her with him; I can't imagine what she sees in him. And since when is Maria interested in Native American stuff anyway?" She stopped walking and turned around to face her companion. "Did you know she cut her hours back at the Crashdown because she's working part-time for her mom?"

Alex thought back over the past few weeks. "Well, she hasn't been around as much lately, but no, I didn't know that."

"Y'know, she said this guy she's dating is Native American, but he didn't look like it to me." She shook her head. "Do you know he said that we don't have any right to worry about Maria anymore? And he accused us of exploiting her weaknesses."

Alex looked up at the restaurant Liz's family owned and paused a moment to gather his thoughts before he spoke. He chuckled finally, the sound bitter. "That's exactly what we did to her, Liz. Maybe it wasn't intentional, at least not at first, but it is what we did. We moved on, we abandoned her, without giving her a reason or an explanation; we cut her out of our lives. Can we really blame her for movin' on and findin' someone who thinks she's important? Someone who's gonna stand between us and her and protect her?"

"You're defending him?" Liz couldn't believe that Alex would side with a guy he had never even met before.

Alex hesitated, struggling to find the right words. "No, maybe… I don't know. I'm just sayin' that we're the ones who pushed her away, we knew how she'd react to bein' cut out of our lives that way and we did it anyway."

"We didn't have a choice."

Alex shook his head sadly. "There's always a choice, Liz; we just have to find a way to live with ours."


	37. Chapter 37

**Part 37**

Michael pulled three bottles of water out of the cooler, shaking off the small pieces of ice that were clinging to them before opening one and handing it to Shysie. His gaze moved over the area as they walked back to their seats and he noticed that Eddie had disappeared and in his absence, Michael's cousin Shadow had taken the empty chair on Maria's left side.

Shadow was a year younger than Michael, an aspiring writer, and an expert at chasing girls. That last thought would have had him hurrying back to his seat if Maria had looked the least bit interested in whatever he was saying, but she was only expressing polite interest and nothing more.

"Tellin' lies, Shadow?" he asked as he took his seat once more.

Maria smiled gratefully when Michael handed her a bottle of water, parched from hours of sitting in the sun. It was early afternoon, barely past two o'clock, and several of his cousins had come by to talk for a few minutes here and there before going back to their chosen seats. She was glad that the cousin he had warned her about, Dakota, had chosen to stay away, though she had seen him watching her several times throughout the morning.

"Me?" The young man grinned, showing off a set of braces that glinted brightly in the sunlight. "Never. I may stretch the truth, or embellish it, but I never outright lie."

_Right,_ Michael thought, _and he was human!_ "What'd I tell you about blindin' people?"

Shadow knew his cousin well enough to know that he wasn't in a bad mood, so he went on teasing him. "See? Now, Michael's a very colorful individual," Shadow said, obviously carrying on from a previous conversation. "I've actually modeled one of the characters in my novel after him." He frowned at his cousin. "Although if he continues with his current behavior, I may have to reduce him to bein' a background character."

Michael didn't seem to be terribly concerned about the threat, and Maria got the feeling that it wasn't the first time Shadow had mentioned it.

"A threat which he will not carry out," Michael said, watching Shysie as she settled down on the ground with a coloring book and a handful of crayons. "He's been makin' the same threat for two years and if he ever actually followed through with it, I'd stop takin' the photos for his newspaper articles."

Maria turned back to Shadow. "You write for the school paper?"

He nodded. "Yeah, since junior high."

"Me too."

Michael listened to them as they compared journalism stories, not really paying much attention to them as his gaze swept over the area. He sat up a little straighter when he saw Dakota standing apart from everyone else, his calculating gaze locked on Maria. He turned his head and looked directly at Michael, and a slow, feral grin turned his mouth up at the corners.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Alex walked through the park across from his street, his mind working over the possibilities the encrypted letter represented. He was still trying to find a code talker who lived a reasonable distance from them while working on a believable cover story to use if he found one. He was certain that the letter had been written by a human being even though there had been no return address on the envelope. The only thing he had to go on was the postmark that identified Marathon, Texas as its place of origin.

He had researched the small town and discovered that the population was under 600, but nothing about the area had suggested anything paranormal. Nothing about the town had stood out; nothing had happened there that drew media attention to it and he hadn't found a single interesting piece of information. He was starting to wonder if the letter had been mailed from that location to mislead anyone who might try to trace it.

His thoughts eventually turned to Isabel and the things he had said to her the night before. He knew she had spent her whole life hiding who she really was, not trusting anyone enough to reveal that part of herself, but that didn't give her the right to dismiss their feelings so callously. He hadn't been surprised to find her gone when he had come back and he was curious to see how long she would stay mad at him for being honest with her.

"Well, look who stopped by."

He grimaced internally when he heard Brad Patterson's taunting voice, and despite the voice of self-preservation screaming at him to run in the opposite direction, he turned to face the captain of the football team.

_I should've run,_ he thought when he saw Patrick Thompson and Ken Bishop flanking Brad. _Just like on the football field, where you saw one of them you were sure to see all three._ They were part of the elite group and they thought they owned the school.

"I've been hearin' rumors about you, Whitman." Brad shook his head and sighed loudly. "People are sayin' you've forgotten your place."

"What place would that be?"

Brad laced his hands together and cracked his knuckles before folding his arms across his chest. "The place where you don't speak to people like Isabel Evans."

"So, the three of you are here to what? Kick my ass for steppin' outta line and – " He had heard the expression 'seeing stars' but he could honestly say it was the first time he had experienced it first-hand. He hadn't seen Brad move so he could only assume it was one of the others that had punched him. _He wasn't much of a fighter but that was amazingly easy to overlook when your arms were pinned behind your back by one guy while the other two took turns using your body as a punching bag._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria's gaze followed Kai's movements as she swayed from North to South, riveted by the myriad of emotions that chased across the girl's face. She couldn't imagine going through such a rigorous rite of passage; her own celebration of impending womanhood had been quite different and nowhere near as physically demanding.

Despite the fact that her mother felt it was something that should be celebrated, Maria had been less than thrilled about the new development in her life. But Amy had insisted on a special dinner topped off with champagne to mark her only daughter's introduction to womanhood. She had been certain her mother had finally lost her mind because she couldn't think of a single reason to celebrate her first period. _Besides, wasn't a period supposed to signify the end of something? She had briefly wondered if it had been given its name by a man. If they were going to name it after a punctuation mark, why not call it an ellipse? The stupid dot, dot, dot at least indicated that it would be ongoing._

Maria paused in her mental ramblings and turned to look at Michael. "Have you ever drunk a bottle of Magnum?"

He looked up from the sketch he had been working on when she blurted the question out. "What?"

"Have you ever drunk a bottle of Magnum?" she repeated.

_Oh, she was trying to figure out his nickname again._ "I doubt it since I don't know what it is."

"It's a famous brand of champagne."

"Huh-uh."

"Well, you don't know what you're missing." She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the taste. "It's absolutely divine."

"Uh-huh, and when did you drink it?"

Maria mentally kicked herself; no way was she sharing _that_ story! "Nevermind. So, what're you doing?"

"Nothin' important." He flipped the cover over the page he had been sketching on and looked at her. "I'm getting the feelin' that you don't wanna tell me about your…" He paused, casting about for the word she had used. "Absolutely divine champagne experience."

"I don't think you really wanna hear it."

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"

Maria smirked. "Let's just say it's one of those _woman things_ and leave it at that."

He stared at her for a few moments as he considered the implications of that statement. _Woman things_ could mean too many things he just didn't wanna know. He shuddered comically and waved one hand in defeat. "Fair enough."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Catherine stood back, away from everyone else, pretending to watch the ceremony while in reality she was watching her son and his girlfriend. The two of them had been left alone for too long and now Michael was comfortably slouched down next to Maria, watching her as she studied his sketches. Body language spoke volumes where he was concerned and the fact that he was not only relaxed, but also leaning in towards the girl without the slightest bit of hesitation, said more than simple words could ever convey.

"Is it a problem because you do like her or because you don't like her?"

She turned her head and smiled briefly in greeting when she realized John's older sister had joined her. "What?"

Skye ran a hand through her long black hair and then motioned at her oldest son where he sat with his wife and children. "I wasn't too concerned when Colton first started dating but I knew from the first moment he mentioned Rebecca that she was different."

"How?"

"Out of four children, Colt's the most like his father; serious, reserved, and quiet." She chuckled when she thought back on her first meeting with the man she had eventually married. "The first time I met Kade, I was sure he was the rudest, most stuck-up man I had ever met."

Catherine laughed quietly. "I remember that. The entire Rez heard about him. I think I was about eleven or twelve years old when you met him; I was doing homework with John when you came home fussing about the 'rude, obnoxious, know-it-all doctor' you had run into."

"Didn't paint a very flattering picture of him, did I?" She smiled and shook her head. "Anyway, that's not my point; the point I'm trying to make is that with me – once we got together – he was completely different. Kade's just very quiet and reserved and a lot of people don't get past their first impression of him, and Colt is just like his father. So, when he started talking about this girl he'd met and I saw how animated he was, I knew it was all over, that he'd finally found someone who understood him, who could look beyond what the rest of the world saw to see how amazing he really is. And I was happy for him." She paused. "Until I realized that she was going to take my place in his life."

"That's not an easy thing to accept," Catherine admitted.

"No, it's not. I mean, you spend your life teaching them, raising them, taking care of them when they're sick, comforting them when they're hurt or scared, encouraging them, listening to their dreams and their fears, and then one day here comes this girl who's known him for a fraction of that time and she's taking him away from you."

Catherine felt relief wash over her at the realization that someone understood her feelings. "Exactly! Why doesn't John understand that?"

"For the very same reason that you won't understand why he starts acting like a fool when Maggie starts dating seriously. Believe me, Catherine, I understand your need to protect your son and considering the circumstances that led to Michael becoming part of your family, I can only imagine that it's even stronger where he's concerned."

"But?" Catherine asked warily.

Skye smiled at her sister-in-law's perception. "But, I get the feeling that there's more that you're worried about than her taking your place in his life."

Catherine debated whether or not to say anything for all of thirty seconds. "She's encouraging him to find his biological family," she blurted out in a rush of words.

Skye shook her head, confused. "Okay," she said slowly. "I don't understand; that's not exactly a new development and you've never shown any opposition to it before. Isn't it a good thing that she supports him – " She broke off when she saw Catherine's crestfallen expression.

"I've never opposed it because I know it's important to him, but the truth is I don't want him searching for his… family. What kind of people just leave a child in the desert, Skye?"

"Maybe he needs to find that out for himself so he can get some closure. I don't think his search is meant to hurt you."

"I'm not worried about me." She sighed raggedly. "He's been on this quest for the past couple of years and it's only been one disappointment after another for him. He's moody on good days but when he comes back after following one of his dead-end leads, he just closes himself off from everyone. When he's hurt, he gets angry and defensive, he pushes everyone away, and he won't let anyone help him. I do worry that she won't be able to handle him when he gets like that, when he pushes everyone away, because that'll hurt both of them; Michael needs someone who can stand up to him, who can curb his impulsive behavior, who can let him go at the right times, and who knows that when he's pushing her away the hardest, that's when she needs to hold on the tightest. I worry about what'll happen to him if she can't handle being with him when he's like that because he's gotten very attached to her."

"Are you worried that she won't be able to handle him or that she will?"

"Honestly?" Catherine sighed. "A little bit of both. You asked earlier if I like her or not, and I do… it's just that it'll make it even harder if she can't deal with him. I don't want to see either of them get hurt."

Skye nodded. "And if she _can_ deal with him?"

"Well, I won't really know that until he comes back from – "

"That's not what I asked you," Skye prodded gently.

Catherine took a deep breath and held it for a moment before releasing it slowly. "If she can deal with him after one of those disappointing searches I guess I'll have my answer, won't I?"


	38. Chapter 38

**Part 38**

River Dog watched his older grandsons as they engaged in a game of football, the game more of a wrestling match than an organized sport. His granddaughters had taken up positions on either side of the designated 'field'; loudly encouraging or objecting to plays made by their cousins or brothers. The smaller children were playing their own games on the other side of camp under the watchful eyes of their parents who had gathered into a large group, talking and laughing as they prepared dinner.

His gaze followed Michael when Shadow tackled him, shaking his head when the boys scuffled over the football before the younger one wriggled free, victoriously holding the ball high above his head. Shadow quickly tossed the ball to his older brother Colton and Michael motioned for them to keep playing as he jogged to the sidelines where Maria was sitting, to retrieve his bottle of water.

A feeling of pride swept over him as he observed his family and for that single precious moment in time, everything was perfect in his world. As he got older, he had learned to appreciate these moments, to savor them, because they were few and far between. He was glad to see that Michael's girlfriend was settling in with a little more ease than she had shown the day before. Not everyone had welcomed her with open arms; there were plenty who had their reservations about her, but after watching her with his grandson, he knew that in time she would win most of them over. There were a few, of course, who would never accept her because their hearts had been closed to outsiders, and the thing that hurt the most was that Dakota, his own grandson, was one of those people. He had tried talking to the boy in an effort to reverse the lies his mother had poisoned him with, but he hadn't been able to set the boy's path right.

He was too far away from them to hear what Michael said as he took a moment to sit on the picnic table next to his girlfriend, but he saw him smile at something she said when she leaned in to nudge him with her shoulder. He marveled at the changes that had occurred in his grandson since he had found the little boy in the desert so long ago.

_River Dog had walked in the desert for hours with no specific destination in mind, propelled on by the insistent feeling that there was a purpose for his seemingly aimless wandering. After his wife's passing several years earlier he had spent a lot of time in the desert, but now that his children were all grown up and his youngest had moved out on her own he spent very little time at home._

_Movement in the distance caught his attention and he raised his right hand to block the sun. Heat rose from the sand, distorting his vision and creating mirages that could confuse and trick even the strongest of minds. It was the hottest part of the day and the animals that called it home had taken refuge in burrows and dens to wait for the cooler temperatures that would be brought on by evening._

_He started to turn away so he could continue on his original path but before he had fully turned the flash of movement occurred again and he changed direction. The heat from the sand burned his feet even through the soles of his boots and he kept an eye out for a place to take shelter until the sun began its evening descent._

_A large outcropping of rocks appeared in front of him as he walked up over a small dune and the promise of a brief respite from the heat caused his stride to lengthen. He walked around to the side that faced the west, knowing that was his best chance of finding some shade. His relief was short-lived though, because despite the promise of shade offered by the rocks, there was evidence that something else had staked a claim on the small cave. Experience told him that regardless of the heat he would be smart to leave the immediate area and avoid startling whatever creature had taken the cave for shelter._

_Spotting a much smaller rock formation not far away he made his way to it, shrugging out of the pack he was carrying as he settled down in the small, but adequate, shady spot it provided. He dozed off after a while, tired from his extended walk under the hot sun, waking when it shifted in the sky and its light settled directly over him once more. He was reaching for his pack when he glanced up and saw a naked child run around the outcropping of rocks not far away._

_He blinked a couple of times and rubbed his eyes before he shook his head negatively. Obviously, he had been in the sun too long, he thought. He chuckled at the absurdity and got up to walk towards where he had seen the trickery played on him by the sunlight. How long could a child survive out here? In the desert, miles from any form of civilization? It wasn't possible. His gaze lowered to the ground and he stared in disbelief at the little footprints spaced close together in the sand and he frowned as he looked around for their owner. _

_He followed the footprints around the outcropping of rocks and froze when he was suddenly confronted with the little boy. The little guy was naked, his skin dirty from being outdoors without benefit of a bath in the recent past. His eyes were wide with fear as he stared at the man, his little body frozen in shock. He scrambled backwards and after only a few steps, his back came up against the rocks and he realized he had nowhere to go._

_One moment River Dog was reaching out to show the little boy that he wasn't a threat, his voice calmly speaking in an effort to reassure him that he meant no harm, and the next moment he was lying on his back staring at the sky. He had seen the boy's hands as they shot out from his side, and he had barely had time to register the bright light that glowed around them before he had been picked up and tossed several yards away. He sat up and shook his head, certain that the little boy had hurried back to the cave._

_He stood and brushed the sand off of his clothes, his expression intrigued as he walked back to his own outcropping of rocks. While it was comforting to know that he wasn't seeing things, the little boy's presence was disturbing. He had known for years that there were others, visitors, who occasionally revealed themselves to a few humans but he had only met one of them and that had been years ago. And Nacedo had been an adult. He wondered how long the boy had been left alone in the desert and what he should do about it. His people didn't run to government agencies or the legal authorities to make their decisions for them; they were a proud people and self-reliant. Not to mention the fact that the government would not look kindly on the discovery of a little alien child._

_He pulled an orange out of his pack, absently peeling it before pulling a wedge out and eating it. He glanced down at the fruit and he wondered when the boy had last eaten or had anything to drink. He reached into his pack and pulled out a bottle of water and a tin of cornbread that his daughter-in-law had made for him that morning. He looked in the pack when his hand brushed against something soft and he lifted out the blanket. His calloused flesh caught on the material as his hands ran over the blanket and his gaze grew misty as he stared at it._

_It had been a gift from his wife and even though he had denied needing it, she had insisted he take it with him on his walks into the desert. He had scoffed at the thought of needing a blanket despite the cold that permeated the desert at night, but she had merely smiled and placed it in his pack._

_Youth was truly wasted on the young, he thought as his gaze traced over the plaid pattern of light and dark blue squares intersected by thin gray lines. No matter how many times he had watched her weave the blankets, he had never understood how she made them so soft. He lifted his head to look at the entrance to the small cave and he thought back over the past few nights, shivering involuntarily at the realization that bare flesh provided no protection against the elements. It had rained two nights ago, he thought with a pang of sympathy for the boy._

_For the past week, he had been in this very area but he hadn't once seen the boy and he wondered again how long he had been there. He also wondered how the boy had come to be in the desert, so far away from anyone else. He shook his head, focusing on what he did know for the present time. The little boy had to be hungry. He had no way of knowing how long the boy had been in the desert and he hadn't looked malnourished, but he was probably in need of food and water at the very least._

_Certain he was being watched, he checked his pack and pulled out a set of clothes left there after his last camping trip with his grandsons. Picking up his chosen items, he walked over to the outcropping of rocks and selected a nice flat one on the northern side and laid them out where the boy could easily reach them. Once he was finished, he went back and gathered his remaining gear and then moved away, well out of the boy's sight, but still close enough where he could observe him._

_Night had fallen by the time the boy emerged from his hiding place, and River Dog smiled as he observed his behavior from his own hiding place. The boy crept along the rocks, obviously listening for anything that might be out of place among the night sounds he had become accustomed to. His eyes scanned the area and the man knew the exact moment that the boy caught the scent of food. He reacted much like a wild animal, reaching for the food before quickly snatching his hand back and scanning the desert again, and River Dog was saddened at the realization that the little boy obviously didn't know how to act any differently. _

_Little fingers closed around the orange and after sniffing it curiously he bit into it, chewing quickly. Moments later his face screwed up into an expression of dislike and he spit out the bite he had taken. The rest of the orange was thrown away as far as he could throw it, and then his attention was focused on the cornbread. He was cautious this time, sniffing it and then experimentally licking it before he finally took a tentative bite, chewing it slowly. Apparently he liked the cornbread because a moment later, he stuffed a handful of it in his mouth and started to chew furiously. _

_River Dog watched him as he picked up the bottle of water, surprised by the sloshing sound it made when he shook it. The boy froze and for several long moments he looked around, searching for the source of the sound. When nothing moved or made a sound, his gaze dropped back to the bottle and he shook it again. His small hands pulled and tugged on the blue top that River Dog had loosened before placing it on the rock, and he gave an inarticulate cry when it wouldn't open._

_River Dog was interested when the boy suddenly froze and scanned the area once more, realizing that the boy didn't know he had made the sound. His expression was determined as he went back to pulling on the top of the bottle and when it finally opened, he stared at it in amazement. After sniffing at it cautiously, he lifted it to his lips and drank greedily from the opening, unaware or uncaring of the excess water that overflowed from the sides and ran down his face and dripped off of his chin in a steady stream. _

_He set the empty bottle down and sat still for a few minutes and River Dog watched him as he swayed tiredly shortly thereafter, his little body trembling from the cool air that blew against skin that was now wet from the water. He was concerned when the boy swayed tiredly and his hand shot out to steady himself against the rock. His expression became curious once again when his hand landed on the blanket and he picked it up, petting it as he hugged it close to his body._

_River Dog stayed safely hidden as he moved around to watch the boy. He scrambled down off of the rock, the blanket dragging behind him as he walked back to his cave and crawled back under the overhang. He lost sight of the little boy at that point and he wondered if the boy would be all right if he went back to get more supplies. He was torn between leaving the boy for a few hours and sitting there and watching over him to make sure he was safe. _

_After hours of debating and not hearing a single sound from the vicinity of the cave, he decided that he had to have more food and water for the boy before morning so he hurried to grab his things and make his way back to the place where he had parked his truck. He could always drive in closer once he had stocked up on food and water for a few days at least._

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

_River Dog had spent several days staying back out of sight, observing the little alien boy without encroaching on his space. The boy had obviously been in the desert long enough to realize that it was smart to stay in the cave during the hottest part of the day. He still hadn't figured out what the clothes were for, improvising by using them to make a pallet of sorts to sleep on._

_While the boy hid from the sun during the day, River Dog crept out and placed more food and water on the flat rock, using it as an opportunity to discover what the boy would and wouldn't eat. He always tried whatever was left for him, but if he didn't like it, he didn't eat it. He had devoured every crumb of the cornbread, assuring the man that he wouldn't starve._

_He had tried different variations to see if that made a difference, but so far it hadn't. Carrots had been thrown as far away as possible, and the same thing had happened a few days later with a small slice of carrot cake. Although he had noticed that the boy had licked the icing off before throwing the cake away._

_Today he was going to try something new. In the morning, he placed himself where the boy couldn't miss seeing him, staying still for many hours as the sun climbed high above them. A little while before the boy normally crept out of the cave to go find his food River Dog stood and brushed his clothes off. He picked his pack up and walked around the rocks to place the food in its normal place, but instead of disappearing, he sat down in the sand about thirty feet away to wait._

_It wasn't long before the child he was calling Magnum hurried around the rocks, heading for the food. He froze when he saw the man sitting close by watching him, but after a few moments hunger won out over suspicion and he crept over to the flat rock. The dark eyes never left River Dog as the boy reached blindly for his food and that night he discovered that pears were an acceptable fruit._

_For nearly a week they continued with this routine, and each night River Dog moved closer and little by little the boy accepted his presence. He had learned much while observing little Magnum and he knew the boy was going to need a very special family to take him in. His first instinct was to take the boy himself but he knew it would never be allowed; he was older and a widower who made his living crafting walking sticks and other items that were sold by a woman a few towns away. He knew the fact that the boy was White would be a hurdle they would have to deal with; Social Services would probably hand him over to the first available family just so they wouldn't have to deal with him and he had to make sure it was the right one. The boy didn't speak even though on occasion he had heard him make sounds, he wasn't socialized at all and was going to need time to adjust to other humans, and in addition to that there was the hygiene factor – or lack thereof – that was going to have to be dealt with._

_A plan began to form in his mind as he watched the boy climb down off of the rock, cornbread held in one grubby hand. He approached River Dog slowly, the dark eyes shining with curiosity. He stopped mere inches from the man and after several minutes of staring him in the eye, he broke off a small corner of the cornbread and held it out._

_River Dog accepted the small gift with a smile and remained still while the boy moved around him, occasionally reaching out to touch the man's clothes and petting the material. He crouched down when he came to the pack lying on the ground, poking it cautiously to see what it would do. He frowned when it didn't do anything and his gaze turned inquisitive when River Dog opened it and took something out._

_He watched the boy's eyes when he pulled the red ball out of the pack and offered it to him. Since he had already finished the cornbread both hands were free to reach out and grab it. He moved it around between his palms and then studied it before he brought it up to his nose and sniffed it. He gave it an experimental lick and River Dog did his best not to laugh at the look at disgust that crossed his features before he threw the ball on the ground. He stood slowly and went to pick the ball up, rubbing it against his jeans-clad leg to dislodge the sand that was sticking to it where the boy had licked it before throwing it away. Making sure that Magnum was watching him, he bounced the ball against the rocks and caught it when it rebounded in his direction. He repeated the action several times before he tossed the ball to the boy, chuckling when it landed in the sand at his feet and he crouched down to pick it up._

River Dog watched his grandson and smiled at the memories of the wild little boy he had been when he had first discovered Michael in the desert. So much had changed since then and the boy had grown up into a young man his family was proud of. Michael was happy now, confident of his place in his family and in the world, and comfortable with who he was.

Michael had a lot of questions about where he had come from and why he had been left in the desert, and River Dog knew that the boy wouldn't stop looking until he had found the answers. He looked at Maria and knew that his grandson had found someone who was going to play an important role in that search, someone who was going to be beside him in that quest. He looked forward to talking to her and getting to know her better but the opportunity hadn't presented itself yet.


	39. Chapter 39

**Part 39**

Maria watched Michael as he ran back out to rejoin the football game, intercepting the ball when Yancey threw it with the intention of Shadow catching it and running it in for a touchdown. Michael held the ball up in victory and turned to run it in for a touchdown for his own team when Shawnee and Jacey ran in from the sidelines and tackled him. Shawnee held him down while Jacey pried it out of his grasp and tossed it to Colton so he could get the points for his team. Maggie managed to trip him up just short of the end zone, high-fiving her brother when he caught up with them. After a brief dispute over the fairness of the plays, the girls joined the game and both sides traded playful taunts and insults as the game resumed.

Maria knew he was lucky to have this family, to be surrounded by people who loved him and cared about him, to not have to hide who he was – at least with his immediate family. She could imagine how different his life could've been if he had fallen victim to the foster care system; he could've easily been placed in a bad situation, fostered by people whose only interest was the monthly check the government paid out in exchange for providing the bare essentials to those under their care.

She couldn't imagine Michael's spirit being contained, being forced to hide his abilities, never learning how to focus those abilities, never knowing what it was like to be loved for who he was. With his personality that would've been a combustible situation and it would've gone badly; he would've been withdrawn, angry, and completely closed off from everyone.

"You look like you're deep in thought," John commented as he joined his son's girlfriend and sat on the picnic table beside her.

"Oh, hi, John," Maria greeted, remembering his request that she call him by his first name. "I was just thinking about how different things could've been if Michael had gotten shuffled around in foster care." She sighed. "It makes me sad to think of him being with people who wouldn't have loved him like you guys do, or who wouldn't have known or cared to know the truth."

"Don't worry yourself with the what-ifs in life, Maria; there are too many of them and your time can be better spent if you focus on what _is_."

Maria nodded and they sat in silence for several minutes before she took a deep breath. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Well, it's just that you guys are very close to Michael and I know that his mom… I mean… I just don't really know where I stand with her and I don't know what to do to change that."

John chuckled. "You just keep doin' what you've been doin', Maria. Trust me on this, okay? Michael's happy, he cares about you, and you obviously care about him; she just has to accept that there's another woman in his life. Catherine's an incredibly stubborn woman, but she'll come around in her own time."

"I guess that's where Michael gets his stubborn streak."

"Probably." He shook his head. "They can be mule-headed when they wanna be."

Maria laughed. "What was he like when he was little?"

"Inquisitive, curious, stubborn, moody, and into everything; he didn't get into trouble intentionally but he managed to find it… or it found him." He laughed quietly. "I remember the first time we took him to a powwow; he was six and he was so fascinated with everything…"

_Michael had been wide-eyed with awe as they had walked past the outfitted dancers lined up near the entrance and Catherine had been careful to maintain a hold on the boy's hand. Maggie had been perched on John's shoulders to keep her from running off and chasing after anything and everything that caught her attention._

_He had been captivated by the different dances, drawn to the vibrant colors and the outfitted-dancers' movements. His little body had practically vibrated with excitement, and before long he had been bouncing on the balls of his feet, trying to match the dancers' rhythm._

"_You're gonna have to teach this little man to dance, John."_

_John had tipped his head to the side when one of the dancers came to stand beside them and he smiled and reached out to shake his older brother's hand. "Well, he's certainly eager to learn," he agreed with a chuckle._

_Randolph's booming voice had caught Michael's attention and his expression had become one of wonder when he took in the man's colorful outfit. Buckskin, feathers, beads, and body paint; they drew him like a moth to a flame and he inched closer to the big man, his eyes becoming wider as he reached out to grab a handful of the feathers that made up the long headdress. _

"_Michael." John had to force the stern tone into his voice because he wanted so badly to laugh at his boy's behavior. But, the outfit was handmade and had been handed down from his great-grandfather and it wouldn't do to have a handful of the feathers plucked from it by curious little fingers._

_Randolph had crouched down to let his nephew carefully pet the feathers and run his little hands over the beads, patiently explaining the symbolism of each item the boy touched._

"_We're next, Dad," Dakota called as he ran up to join them. "Hey, Michael." He watched his cousin as he was gently pulled back, reluctantly releasing the feathers he had been examining. They had played together a lot over the summer but Michael didn't talk much so he addressed his question to his uncle. "Does he know how to dance yet, Uncle John?"_

"_Not yet, no," John answered, wondering where the boy's questions were leading._

"_Hmm. He can come hang out with me an' Dad after we're finished." He looked at his own father. "Right, Dad?"_

"_Sure."_

"His cousin Dakota who hates him now?" Maria asked.

"One and the same," John said. "He and Michael were pretty close when they were little but now…" He shook his head. "Now, Dakota can't see past the color of my son's skin."

Maria winced at the underlying hurt in his voice and knew it was something he felt deeply.

"I had hoped the world wouldn't be as cruel to my children as it was to us, but that hasn't been the case. Havin' that type of hatred directed at your child by a member of your own family though… that's so much worse than havin' it come from a stranger."

Maria watched him, smiling when he reached up to scratch his eyebrow with his thumb. "Michael does that same thing when he's working something out in his head."

"What's that?" John asked.

"He scratches his eyebrow with his thumb like you just did."

"He does, doesn't he?" John grinned. "Y'know, I've seen him do that hundreds of times and I don't think I've ever thought about the fact that I do the same thing."

"I'll bet Michael has a lot of your mannerisms."

"Well, I'm glad that doesn't extend to my athletic abilities." He nodded at the game that was beginning to wind down. "I was never very good at sports unless I was on horseback and Michael's actually pretty good at sports, he just doesn't go out for anything." He chuckled. "I think we do good just getting him to go to Maggie's games."

"He's not real big on school activities, huh?"

"Not really." He looked up when Catherine called him. "I'd better get back over there and help her." He patted the girl's shoulder as he stood up. "Don't worry about tryin' to figure out where you stand with Catherine; this is new territory for her and she just needs time to adjust to it. Like I said, just keep doin' what you've been doin' and things'll work out."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

After dinner, Maria left Michael debating politics with Colton and Yancey while she walked to the parking area where she could get a decent signal on her cell phone. She called her mom to let her know that she was doing fine and things were going well, but disconnected when it went to voicemail after a dozen rings. She leaned back against one of the cars and wondered if her mother had gone out on a date since she had the weekend to herself. It was the second time that she had called without reaching her mother that day and while that wasn't necessarily unusual, she didn't like being out of contact for so long. Her gaze scanned the early evening sky as she made a mental note to call her mother again later.

"You must think you're pretty special bein' invited out to see one of our ceremonies."

She turned her head to look at the cousin she had been warned about, hiding the shiver of apprehension that raced down her spine when his hostile gaze slid over her. He circled her, his eyes angry and predatory, and she wished that she had agreed when Michael had asked her if she wanted him to go with her.

She could defend herself but she had never been faced with someone who hated her for no other reason than the color of her skin. She might be able to successfully defend herself against physical strength fueled by hatred, but she really didn't want to find out.

"You'd think by now Whites would know to leave us alone."

She remained silent, refusing to react to his actions or his words.

"No one wants you here."

"Michael does," Maria responded quickly.

An ugly grimace twisted Dakota's features. "You think so? Why? Because he invited you out to the Rez a few times? Do you really think he's doin' himself any favors by bringin' you out to a sacred ceremony? You're not welcome here anymore than he is."

Maria looked up when she heard gravel shifting beneath someone's shoes and she felt relief wash over her when she saw one of Michael's aunts walking in their direction.

"Dakota, your mother's looking for you," the woman said, motioning over her shoulder towards the campsite.

"We'll finish this later."

Sage watched him walk away before turning to look at her favorite nephew's girlfriend. "Would you like me to get Michael for you?" she asked.

Maria shook her head negatively. "No, there's no need for him to have to deal with this; nothing really happened anyway. Dakota was just expressing his opinion and I'm sure he expects me to run to Michael with it because he knows it would provoke him."

"I see you've assessed the situation pretty well." She nodded in approval. "Michael's chosen well." She held her hand out to the younger woman. "I'm Sage, by the way; we haven't had a chance to talk yet."

"You're the one who gave Sundance to Michael."

"I am. I've never seen an animal – especially one with such a bad disposition – react to anyone the way that horse reacted to my nephew. It was a good investment; it saved the horse, and Sundance and Michael have had twelve good years together. They're a good fit," she said with a grin.

Maria couldn't resist asking the question that had been on her mind. "Does he have that effect on all animals or was it just Sundance?"

"Animals seem to be drawn to him, whether they're completely sound or they've got a bad disposition."

"So, how would you explain his gift?" Maria asked, knowing that Sage didn't know about Michael being different. It was strange how animals could perceive things that humans couldn't. In Michael's case, it was obvious that animals could sense that he was different from the other humans around them. She wondered how exactly animals had such an awareness of people.

"Some things just defy explanation." She shook her head. "I've seen others who possess similar gifts, but not to the extent that my nephew has shown. I don't think it's the type of thing that can be explained in conventional terms; maybe it's just something that should be accepted for what it is."

"Do you think he's like that horse whisperer guy?"

Sage chuckled. "No, whatever Michael's gift is it's different than that. I've watched him with some of the most difficult animals I've ever seen and it's almost like a silent form of communication that seems to be understood by both of them. I can't explain it; I learned long ago that there are some things that simply defy explanation and you either accept them or you drive yourself crazy looking for an answer." She shrugged. "I decided to just accept it."

"There you are," a relieved male voice said.

Sage glanced over her shoulder when her husband, Justin, joined them. "Problem?"

"Yeah, the boys are awake and they're drivin' my mother crazy."

Sage laughed as she turned back to Maria. "I have four boys; two sets of twins if you can believe that." She shook her head. "_I_ couldn't believe it!"

Maria's eyes widened. "Two sets of twins? How old are they?"

"Two and four." Sage rolled her eyes and pushed away from the car. "I'd better get back to my boys and give my husband a hand."

Maria nodded and watched them walk back to camp. She didn't remain in the parking area for long once they had gone, deciding that she didn't want to risk another run-in with Dakota. She didn't know if he was as dangerous as he seemed but there wasn't any good reason that she could think of to find out.


	40. Chapter 40

**Part 40**

"I don't see how you can say that it's not a law worth considering," Yancey said, shaking his head at his cousin's opposing viewpoint.

"Are you kiddin'?" Colton asked. "Passin' that bill into law would only benefit people in a higher income bracket."

Michael tugged at the collar of his shirt and glanced around while his cousins debated politics. The need to get away had been plaguing him for a while now and he had been resisting it but it was beginning to get stronger. The only word he knew of that described what he was feeling was _claustrophobic_, and when that feeling descended on him the only thing that helped was finding someplace quiet where he could be alone with his thoughts.

"That's true, but at the same…" Yancey trailed off, exchanging a glance with Colton when Michael suddenly walked away. Within moments, they were right back in the middle of their heated debate, unconcerned with their cousin's abrupt disappearance. They had long ago become accustomed to his behavior and they knew that it wasn't meant to offend.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Maria came back into camp and glanced around for Michael when she didn't see him with his cousins who were obviously still in the middle of their discussion about politics. It was easy to see that they had differing opinions of whatever topic they were debating and she wondered if Michael had simply lost interest in the subject and walked away. She was turning to walk away when she spotted him rushing in the opposite direction and she hurried to follow him.

"He needs to be alone."

She froze and turned to look at the old man who had spoken, recognizing Michael's grandfather after a moment. He was sitting on a folding chair outside of his tent, his hands busy whittling away on a piece of wood.

"Oh, um… River Dog, right?"

He smiled and motioned for her to take the chair next to him.

"You said he needed to be alone; is he all right?" she asked as she sat down.

He smiled at her concerned tone. "He's fine; he just needs some time to be by himself so he can find some peace."

Maria looked around at Michael's family, scattered through the camp in small groups. "I don't understand." She looked at the man for several long seconds before turning her head to stare in the direction Michael had gone in.

"Michael has a need to be… alone, at times. To separate himself from even those closest to him."

"You're saying this is typical behavior for him? Just going off by himself without a word to anyone?"

River Dog's smile was mysterious. "Have you ever heard of the term, lone wolf?"

"Yeah."

"Wolves travel in packs; it is in their nature to form their own groups and to live among each other. But often, packs will have a member that will disappear, sometimes for days at a time…" He held up a hand up before she could interrupt. "The lone wolf always returns to the pack, but the need to seek solitude, to find peace away from the others is an ingrained part of its nature."

Maria listened to his explanation as she realized that he was telling her something very important.

"Michael is like the lone wolf, Maria; no matter how happy he is with his family, there is a part of him that will always need to seek out that solitude, that will drive him to go in search of it. He's been like that since he was a little boy. I'm sure you've been with him long enough to realize that he can be incredibly moody when it suits him."

"So, what you're telling me is that I can expect this kind of behavior from him in the future."

"If you intend to remain with him, yes. It's a question of whether you can deal with it or not because he isn't likely to change behavior that's so much a part of who he is. It's important for you to understand that when he goes off on his own like this there's no hurt intended towards those he's walking away from. Sometimes, he just needs to be alone so he can gather his thoughts and be himself away from everyone else." His kind eyes settled on her for a moment. "And at times he'll need to be apart from you as well, so you need to make sure you can deal with that part of his personality."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Michael rolled his shoulders back, forcing the muscles to relax as he stared at the sun dropping behind the mountains in the distance. The confined feeling that sometimes came over him had existed as long as he could remember and the only thing that helped was finding someplace quiet where he could be alone with his thoughts.

He couldn't explain it but sometimes the feeling that everything was closing in on him came out of nowhere and something inside of him insisted on finding solitude. The times that the feeling had occurred and he hadn't followed his instincts or he hadn't been able to had resulted in an overload of emotions and he had responded by acting like the bear his cousins claimed he was.

He turned to let his gaze wander over his family and realized that while he had been busy thinking, the sun had completed its descent behind the mountains and they had all gone back to the area where the ceremony was being held. He cursed out loud and hurried to make his way back along the path he had taken to find a few minutes of peace. He had no idea how Maria would react to his behavior and he certainly hadn't meant to leave her alone with his family for that long. _He just hoped she could understand that it wasn't personal_, he thought as he loped through camp.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Eddie looked up when Maria sat down next to him, quickly glancing past her to see if Michael had come back from his walk.

"It's very dark out here," she commented. "Roswell's not that big but it's easy to forget how dark it gets in the desert at night."

"Yes, it is." He shifted to look at her. "So, ready to hear about the next part of the ceremony?"

"Absolutely." Her gaze drifted over the bonfire that was in the process of being lit.

"The evening part of the ceremony actually starts with the guys bein' asked to dance by the girls; guys never ask the girls to dance at nighttime dances." He motioned at the activity going on around them. "That's what's goin' on now. Before long you'll hear the Crowndancers approaching; they'll burst outta the dark and into the firelight, dancin' around to banish any evil spirits from the area and once that's finished Kai will come out to dance accompanied by a few of her friends. They'll dance with the Crowndancers for four dances until the fire burns down and at that point the Crowndancers will disappear, but the singin' and dancin' will continue throughout the night. You'll also notice that we don't face the fire," he said, nodding at those who had already started to gather around. "Many cultures would be around the fire, but we face the darkness at the ceremony. You think its dark now? Just wait until the fire dies down and you see just how dark it gets out here."

Maria nodded. "So, everybody dances? All night?"

"If they want to. Most will eventually turn in for the night, but there are a few who will make it the entire night."

Maria smiled. "And what about you?"

"Me? I've never made it through an entire night of dancin', but my girlfriend made it out here a while ago and she'll make sure I dance a good part of it." He smiled suddenly. "I'd better go find her before she comes lookin' for me."

Maria quickly lost sight of him as he disappeared into the darkness and her gaze locked on the fire that had come to life. She thought about what River Dog had said to her about Michael and as she stared into the flames leaping towards the sky her mind began to wander.

_Could she deal with the different aspects of his personality? More to the point, could she deal with this particular one? Just accepting his need to go off on his own at times, to completely separate himself from everyone close to him? Including her?_

Was it any different from the times her mother would take off on her retreats? Or when she herself would suddenly find inspiration and the need to write down the words was so pressing that she would run to her room and lock herself away until she had managed to capture her thoughts on paper.

She sat up straighter as she realized that she wasn't the only one who would be dealing with that type of behavior. She did the exact same thing. Maybe not for the same reasons but there were plenty of times when she needed the seclusion provided to her by the sanctuary of her own bedroom.

"Hey."

She turned her head to the side when Michael dropped down in the chair next to her in a graceless heap. For the first time since she had known him he looked unsure of his welcome and she debated about how to proceed.

"I lost track of time," he said by way of explanation.

"Uh-huh." She watched the way the light and shadows played across his face and his defensive expression made her decide to play it out a little longer. "Where'd you go?"

"It's not important." Michael slouched down and stared into the darkness. _Was she gonna pry into his business now?_ he wondered, annoyed.

"Oooooooookay." Maria shrugged and mimicked his pose, biting her tongue while she waited to see if he would take the bait.

"Fine, since you've gotta know every damn thing, I went for a walk," he snapped. "Is that all right with you?"

_Was he deliberately trying to be an ass? Because he was really acting like one right now!_ "I said 'okay', Michael," she snapped right back at him. She took a deep breath as she shook her head. "I wasn't pushing for an answer. Although I don't see what the big deal is. Everybody takes a walk now and then."

"Well, maybe I go for more walks than the average person." Michael knew he was pushing her; it was almost as if, deep down, he wanted to fight with her.

Unknown to him, Maria was thinking the same thing. She frowned, wondering if he was really trying to pick a fight or if this was just another example of his prickly personality showing itself.

"I don't see what the big deal is," he mumbled.

"You're the one making it a big deal," Maria said, rolling her eyes.

Michael opened his mouth to deny her statement but before the words could form he realized that she was right. _She hadn't tried to take his head off for taking off and leaving her with a bunch of strangers so why was he trying to start an argument with her?_

"Look, your grandfather explained and after thinking about it, I realized that everyone at some point needs time to themselves. I do the same thing; maybe not for the same reasons but neither of us are the type of people who would ever be content to be glued together every minute of every day."

He watched her in the near-darkness for several minutes. "I can't really explain it, Maria; most of the time I'm not even sure I understand it myself."

Maria watched him intently, knowing that he was revealing a part of himself, something deep and inexplicable. He had told her that sometimes he just wanted space, that there were times when he needed to be away from everything and everyone. This was the first time she had been around him when he had experienced one of these… episodes, but once it was over he had come back to her. She smiled at that realization, happy that Michael had instinctively sought her out once he had found what he needed; he had come back to her because that was where he wanted to be. "I write," she said suddenly, feeling the need to share something with him. "And not just articles for the school paper. So sometimes I lock myself up in my room and completely lose track of time while I'm writing or trying to compose a song that I've got stuck in my head." She shrugged. "And sometimes I just need time to be by myself, to listen to music, and get lost in my own head for a while."

She shifted, tucking her right leg under her and leaning her shoulder against his. "People need time to themselves to just _be_ themselves, to be alone with their thoughts, and to charge their batteries so they can get ready for the next round of whatever life throws at them." She shrugged the shoulder resting against him. "I guess what I'm saying is that you don't have to try to explain it, Michael. Yes, there are gonna be times when this behavior and attitude of yours is gonna piss me off, but I'll just have to remember that I act the same way at times. I'll do my best to understand and not be a pain in the ass about it, okay?"

He turned to press a kiss against the top of her head. "Thanks," he whispered gruffly.

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled as she sat up straighter. "Y'know, Michael, being a couple isn't easy; I might not know a lot about relationships, but I do know it takes two to make it work. And I…" Maria hesitated before going on, trying to find the right words to explain what she wanted to say. "I really want this to work between us." She tossed a quick glance at him, not surprised to see him shifting around uncomfortably. He was a guy so he probably didn't want to talk about their relationship, but Maria felt the need to clarify a few things. "It's not always gonna be a bed of roses… hell, we've already made it through a few rough spots. I've seen my mom go through a lot of relationships and I do know that compromise is a key element, and so is talking to each other. I don't wanna repeat her mistakes, Michael, that's all."

Michael watched her carefully, trying to figure out what he was supposed to say. He hadn't thought much about their relationship, mainly because it was all still so new to him. But Maria obviously had thought about it, and he could see that it was bothering her. He didn't know what to say; it was his first serious relationship too, and he didn't have all the answers. The only thing he knew to do was to try and reassure her.

"Don't think about it too much, Maria. We'll just see what happens. You're not your mother, alright? We'll just…" He stopped, pulling his thoughts together as he thought about what he could say to Maria that would get his point across. "Look, we'll just take it one step at a time, okay? See how it goes. We don't have to figure it all out tonight."

Maria looked at him and considered his answer. He was right. He was Michael and she was Maria, and they would deal with whatever the future threw at them when that time came.


	41. Chapter 41

**Part 41**

They sat in silence for a while, listening as the sound of drumbeats and sacred chants began to fill the air. The bonfire burned brightly, throwing eerie lights over the masked dancers charged with the banishment of evil spirits. Sparks from the fire shot up into the night sky, extinguished within seconds of being exposed to the night air.

"Michael?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you dance?" She patted his arm when she felt him tense up. "Your dad was telling me about your fascination with the dancers and their outfits earlier today and I was just wondering if you dance."

"Oh, okay, I thought you were wantin' to dance," he muttered, relieved. "Yeah, I know how to do most of the dances; my dad and River Dog taught me how years ago. But, it's not really my thing, y'know? I don't participate or anything now."

"Do you dance at all?"

"Huh-uh, not if I can help it."

Maria nodded. Somehow, that was the answer she had expected. Her gaze followed the dancers as they made their way around the fire and she lifted her head from Michael's shoulder when movement off to the side caught her attention. She smiled when she saw Joey mimicking the dancers' movements under his father's watchful eye, ready to intervene if the boy got too close.

"Michael, can I ask a personal question?"

"You can ask, but I'm not promisin' I'm gonna answer."

"Fair enough. Do you know what caused Joey's parents to start drinking?" she asked.

Michael scratched his chin as he contemplated her question. "From what I've heard, it was a combination of things; Uncle Elijah couldn't read for most of his life and he ended up droppin' outta school when he was sixteen, he couldn't find employment because he couldn't read, so he eventually just gave up and started hangin' with the wrong crowd." He shifted slightly in his chair and cleared his throat. "Alcoholism and drug use is a huge problem on most reservations and while we're not in the top percentage, our Rez has more than its fair share."

Maria leaned against his shoulder again. "But, why is the percentage so much higher with Native Americans?"

"I certainly don't condone it, but for many it's their only escape from a reality they can't cope with. The high rates of unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and a life expectancy that's lower than the rest of the country's population are huge contributing factors; they lead to depression, and in some cases aggression and suicide. Native Americans have a higher suicide rate than any other ethnic group; the number is somethin' like 1.5 times the national rate." He lifted his right hand to scratch his eyebrow with his thumb. "Do you know how many Native Americans are expected to graduate from college on average?"

Michael was so passionate and angry about this subject, but Maria knew he needed to express himself and share his views regarding how his family and his people were being treated, so she asked, "How many?"

"Right at one percent, and that's a nationwide figure. One percent, Maria." He shook his head. "Parents on some of the reservations are reluctant to send their kids to public schools because of the way their families were forced to assimilate into White culture in the past, so you can imagine how that affects them when they're forced to attend public school."

"Your parents sent you and Maggie to public school."

"Yeah. Well, there's no school on the Rez, and they knew that we'd get a quality education in town. We weren't accepted immediately, but Mom an' Dad weren't gonna have their kids getting a substandard education because certain people didn't think we belonged there."

Maria's heart beat painfully in her chest as she imagined the kind of treatment Michael and Maggie must have run into at school. Kids could be tough on other kids who were different. "That must've been difficult for you."

Michael scowled as some of his more unpleasant memories of school resurfaced. "Some days it still is. It helps that there are quite a few of us… keeps things balanced." He chuckled. "We weren't the first kids from the Rez to go to school in town, but it's a cycle that repeats itself every year with each new batch of kids. I imagine there'll always be those who don't want our kind around just like there'll be some of us who don't want Whites around." His eyes found Dakota with ease, lurking in the shadows on the edge of the firelight's circle.

Maria's gaze followed his and she wondered what he was thinking as he watched his cousin. "Do you think he'll ever change the way he thinks about White people?"

"I don't know." Michael had been keeping an eye on Dakota all evening, certain that he was planning something. He didn't trust his cousin for a single second; he knew too well what the other boy was capable of, but he wasn't gonna let him disturb the ceremony or bother Maria. He brought himself back to the discussion when he realized that Maria was talking.

"I didn't realize that conditions were so bad on the reservations."

Michael rolled his eyes. _As if people really wanted to be reminded about what was really going on out on the Reservations… it was a part of American society that most were quite content to turn a blind eye to._ "Well, it's not exactly the kinda thing that's gonna make the top news stories, is it? Who wants to know about poverty, alcoholism, unemployment, and lacking education among Native Americans? People don't wanna hear about it." He snorted derisively. "Kinda kills the myth of the handsome, heroic Indian you read about in historical romances, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, not really into that type of fiction; I'm more of a Harry Potter fan myself." She nudged him with her elbow. "What do you know about historical romances?"

Michael looked at her, wondering if she really thought that he would ever read that garbage. _Not even if they tied him up and tried to force him to read it! He had ears though, and unfortunately, he also had a sister who read the books and was always happy to share more information about that kind of literature than he had ever wanted to know._ "Maggie and her friends read that crap. You don't see anyone writin' about the reality; they write stories usin' characters that they've manipulated so that they fit some idea of what they think Native Americans were a hundred years ago. They use characters that are rarely Indian; they're either some White guy who was raised as an Indian or it's a guy who's half-Indian and half-White. The girl in the stories is always some rich, pampered White girl from back East somewhere who falls in love with the guy after he rescues her from whatever completely implausible scenario the writer came up with. So, the guy would have to be White and raised native or at least half-White so that they can rationalize him settling in with other Whites when they ride off into the sunset at the end." He shook his head in disgust. "It's completely stereotypical; the hero's always the guy with long hair, the thin, well-built body… y'know, the powerful Indian warrior who is completely civilized and accepted by society's standards."

Maria laughed at his description of the mythical Indian lover. She could just picture him lecturing Maggie and her friends about their _"crappy choice of reading material!"_ "I guess you're not that impressed with sports teams either then."

_What? Where had that come from? They were talking about books and out of nowhere she jumps and starts talking about sports? _"What?"

She couldn't help but smile when she saw his lost expression. He was so adorable. Of course, she wouldn't dare tell him that to his face. He'd jump all over her, ranting about how he was a guy and guys were _not_ adorable. _Okay, she loved to watch him rant and rave over things, so she'd have to tell him that, just to get a reaction out of him._ She shook her head. _She was insane… totally insane. Here she was making plans to piss him off just because she loved to watch him get all worked up._ "I saw a thing on the news a while back… protests against tribal names being used as names for sports teams, I think."

_Oh, that._ Michael nodded in understanding when she clarified her statement. "Yeah. A lot of Native Americans have been tryin' for years to stop sports teams from usin' their names and symbols because they've been reduced to mascots for the teams, but so far they've been unsuccessful. I think it's interesting that in today's society people are encouraged to be so careful of what they say because of how it might offend someone's beliefs, culture, or religion, but when it comes to Native Americans, we're still usin' them as mascots for sports teams."

Michael was right. This was a part of their society that she hadn't really given much thought to before. There was a lot to do, to make people understand the Native American's way of life and to teach others to respect their religion, as well as teaching people the truth about the first inhabitants of this continent. "Not much of a commentary on our society, is it?"

"No, it's not."

He glanced down when she shifted around to pull her cell phone out, the light on the display briefly illuminating her face before it faded out.

"Everything okay?"

"I haven't been able to reach my mom all day." She frowned at the display before flipping the phone closed again.

"Cell reception's crap out here; maybe she tried to call earlier and couldn't get through."

He motioned over his shoulder. "We can walk out to the parkin' area if you wanna try to call her again," he offered.

"Yeah, if you don't mind."

Michael's eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness as they walked further away from the fire and he held onto Maria's hand as she walked behind him so she wouldn't trip over anything. As soon as they reached the area where the reception was the strongest, he leaned against one of the cars and stared up into the sky while she made her call. His attention was pulled away from his contemplation of the constellations when Maria sighed in frustration and closed her phone again. "Problem?"

"I just don't understand why I haven't been able to reach my mom all day." She shook her head. "It's not like her to be out of contact for so long."

"Maybe she's just takin' advantage of her time alone; maybe she had a date and she's spendin' time with the guy."

Maria thought back over her mother's recent behavior and her suspicion that Amy was dating the aromatherapy salesman. "It has to be Howard," she muttered, pacing back and forth in front of Michael. "I know she's been seeing someone but she won't tell me who it is… I mean, she told me it's not Howard, but it has to be, and she knows I don't like him, which means she's lying to me about him."

Michael watched her as she paced, getting more agitated with every word and every step.

"This guy is so wrong for my mom, Michael. Seriously wrong. The guy is completely boring! I mean, he sells aromatherapy products for a living and my mom could do so much better than him… she deserves better than Howard!" Maria was getting angrier by the second and she was unaware that her voice was rising as she ranted. "She can't possibly be so desperate that she's lowered her standards to such a low level that she'll date a guy like him!"

"Why're you drawin' conclusions based on some scenario you've cooked up with that overactive imagination of yours?" Michael snapped, annoyed with her pointless ranting.

Maria stared at him, surprised by his outburst. "What?"

"You said yourself that she told you she's not datin' this guy; why would you doubt her word? Has she ever lied to you?"

She paused, staring at him in the near-darkness as she thought about his question. _Had her mother ever lied to her?_ Amy had always treated her like an adult and she had never tried to hide things from her. She had admitted to seeing someone – and had obviously spent the night with him – but she hadn't tried to hide that fact. She was suspicious of her mother's behavior and now she wondered if she was just looking for lies because of the recent events with Liz and Alex. She felt the anger from minutes ago begin to fade away. "No."

"No." Michael repeated her answer, emphasizing the word in an attempt to get her to acknowledge its meaning.

"No, she's never lied to me and there's no reason for her to lie to me now."

Michael sighed. She was obviously affected by the recent events in her life but she didn't seem to be able to recognize it. He didn't know Amy that well, but from what Maria had told him she wasn't the type of woman who would lie to her daughter. "Maria, I know you've been havin' a difficult time with the way your friends have been actin', but you can't start thinkin' that other people are doin' the same thing or actin' the same way because of what they've done. Have you considered that maybe the guy she's seein' is more than just a temporary fling and she hasn't said anything because she's not ready to tell you about it yet?"

Maria watched him, her expression a cross between stubborn and pouting as she tried to find a hole in his argument. "It still doesn't explain why I can't reach her."

"C'mere." He reached out to take her hand, tugging her up against his body and wrapping his arms around her. "Your mom's probably just enjoyin' some time with this guy, whoever he is, while she's got the freedom to come and go as she pleases. She knows you're not plannin' to be home until late tomorrow afternoon, and there's no reason why she shouldn't enjoy herself too."

"You think that's why she's not answering her phone?"

"More than likely. You know a lot of people in Roswell, right? So, if somethin' had happened to your mom someone would've called you. Even if they couldn't get through to you directly they would've left a message." He shrugged. "But, if it's gonna worry you that much, I can always take you home early."

Maria considered what he had said. "No, you're probably right, and while we do have our don't-ask-don't-tell policy, she's always been really good about being there when I get up in the mornings. So, maybe she did decide to spend the weekend with the guy she's seeing, and if she did… I guess I'm okay with that." Her hands inched inside his open jacket and her arms slid around his waist. "God, you're warm; I hadn't even realized just how cool it had gotten out here."

Michael pulled her closer and lowered his head to kiss her, wishing that they were anywhere but there, surrounded by his loving and meddlesome family. He deepened the kiss, and smiled against her lips when he heard her quiet whimper. Her hands slid further up his back, fingers clenching in the material of his shirt as she tried to pull him closer. He broke the kiss and straightened up a few minutes later when a bright light sliced through the darkness and settled on them.

"I'll bet Aunt Catherine would just love to know what you're doin' out here," Dakota snarled.

Maria felt Michael tense but he didn't make a move towards his cousin. He squinted against the flashlight's bright beam and she could see him assessing the situation, determining how much of a threat Dakota was at that time.

"Y'know, I notice things," he said in a singsong voice. "Things that no one else seems to notice or they just don't wanna mention it." He turned in a circle, the light cutting a brief path of illumination through the darkness. "It's easy to learn things, hear what people are sayin' when no one notices you."

The tension in Michael's body went up a notch and he knew that whatever his cousin was going to say, it wasn't going to be pleasant.

"If it weren't for the fact that I'm actually related to them…" Dakota waved the light back towards the area where the ceremony was being held, "I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be anywhere doin' anything with them if it weren't for the fact that we're related. Not me an' you, Guerin, because we're not related in any possible way, but me an' them. They don't even acknowledge me most of the time, and it's your fault."

Maria watched him and she could tell that his hostility was escalating, and judging by the tension that was causing Michael's body to vibrate, he knew his cousin was ready to move his antagonistic behavior to the next level.

"You kids comin' back anytime soon?" Randolph asked as he joined them. He had seen Dakota take off not long after the young couple had taken their leave and when none of them had returned after a few minutes he had decided to go look for them.

Michael relaxed marginally when he heard his uncle's voice, and in contrast, Dakota's anger shifted up several notches.

"That's right, _Dad_," Dakota snarled. "Protect the Whites and – "

"Dakota, I'm not – " Randolph sighed raggedly when the boy turned and stalked off into the night. "You two should get back before your mother notices that you're gone," he advised, and then waited for them to walk ahead of him.


	42. Chapter 42

**Part 42**

The next morning, Maria glanced at Eddie when he sat down beside her, wide-awake and perfectly alert. "How are you not completely exhausted?" she asked. "You were still dancing when we called it a night."

Michael snorted. "He hasn't been to sleep yet." He yawned and slouched down further in his chair. "I'm not complainin' though; I got the tent all to myself."

"I thought you bunked with your cousins?"

Eddie glanced at the younger man and laughed. "Grumpy? Bunkin' with half a dozen guys?"

Maria's gaze bounced between them several times before finally settling on Michael. "It was your decision, wasn't it? Because of Dakota?"

He shrugged. "It was that or get into a fight with him, and I've been doin' my best to avoid that. I've never been that happy about sharin' a tent with a bunch of other people anyway. Besides, I can usually count on havin' it to myself since Eddie's girlfriend almost always shows up and keeps him distracted."

"Uh-huh, but sharing a tent with a bunch of people is okay for me?" Maria teased.

He turned his head to look at her and his lazy gaze turned mischievous. "I would've offered to let your bunk with me but my parents would've killed both of us."

"I think you'd do good to remember that, Son," John said, thumping the back of the boy's head as he walked past him. His hand briefly rested on Maria's shoulder. "You too, young lady. The two of you are costin' me enough sleep as it is; if his mother hears talk like that, I'll never sleep again." John chuckled as he walked away, certain that they would behave themselves… for a few minutes anyway. He and Catherine had been their age once but she lacked a sense of humor where Michael and this situation were concerned.

"Oh, my God!" Maria hissed as she slouched down in her chair and smacked Michael's arm with the back of her hand. "I can't believe you said that in front of your dad."

"What? I didn't know he was sneakin' around listenin' to people's conversations." He smirked. "Just be glad I didn't say what I was really thinkin'."

"Well, whatever it was, do _not_ say it aloud; keep it to yourself." She grinned when he started to scowl. "At least until we're sure you won't be overheard again."

Eddie controlled the smile that wanted to surface as he watched them; it looked like Michael had finally met his match. A smile began to creep onto Michael's face in response to her teasing but he quickly masked it when he realized that Eddie was watching him.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and tell Maria about the rest of the ceremony," he snapped, annoyed by the amusement on his friend's face.

Eddie's smile was mysterious as he turned his attention back to Maria and his explanation of the ceremony. "We're actually getting close to the end; it'll be over in a few hours. The girl that danced with Kai yesterday will join her again shortly and while they're dancin', the Crowndancers will come back to banish evil from the area, and after that they'll face Kai while everyone lines up to sprinkle the good medicine over them and bless them. Once that's completed the medicine man will send Kai's friend away and Kai will dance with her sponsor while the Crowndancers charge from all four directions to rid the area of any evil that might be lurking around."

"They do that a lot, don't they?"

Eddie chuckled. "Yeah, they do. Once they're satisfied that all evil has been banished Kai will be painted."

"_Painted?_" Maria repeated incredulously. "They're gonna _paint_ her?"

He smiled and shook his head. "It's not actual paint," he assured her. "The medicine man's the only one who knows what's really in it, and it is brushed on, but it's not real paint. Once she's been painted to his satisfaction, the medicine man will give her the basket of paint and her sponsor will use the brush to paint the crowd – it's a way of blessing everyone. Once the paint is gone, everyone lines up behind the medicine man, Kai, her sponsor, and the Crowndancers, and they'll dance through the poles in each of the four directions. At that point, Kai will take the blankets at the center and toss them to the four sacred directions, ending the public part of the ceremony."

"The public part?"

"Um-hmm. We'll all go back to camp while the ceremony area is cleaned up and the masks that the Crowndancers wore will be broken in a ritual and taken to a sacred place that is known to very few. The broken masks will be left with the Mountain Spirits and Kai will remain in camp for another day, but for the rest of us the ceremony is over." He grinned. "Which means we'll be movin' on to Michael's favorite part of the weekend."

"What's that?" she asked, glancing at Michael.

"The barbeque at Skye's house."

"I'm not even gonna dignify that with a response," Michael growled. He sat up straighter when he spotted Shysie heading in their direction with her adoptive father.

"Can I hide out over here for a while?" Aaron asked as he sat down beside Michael. He shook his head at his nephew's smirk. "You're gonna understand one of these days." 

"Who're you hidin' from?" Michael picked Shysie up when she stepped up onto his boots.

"My wife. I didn't realize my baby sisters' anniversary was this week and that she and her husband are goin' outta town for a few days."

Michael snickered. "Aunt Storm wants to leave Summer and Sierra with you an' Aunt Sarah," he guessed.

"Monday through Thursday."

Michael fought to hold back the laughter that was threatening to erupt. _His big uncle, hiding from his wife… it was just too funny!_ Although he could understand why Aaron was trying to hide; he himself lived with a mother and a sister, so he sympathized with the man's dilemma. He had been there before and he'd rather sleep in a tent out in the desert – or even without one – if it meant he never had to spend another night under the same roof with his cousins! _Summer and Sierra were more than any guy should ever have to deal with._ "And you think if you hide out over here long enough she'll what? Forget about it?"

"Hey, a man can hope."

"Well, good luck with that."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Isabel tried uselessly to force the butterflies that were churning her stomach into a knot of tension into submission. She didn't know why she was feeling nervous about seeing Alex; he wasn't the type to hold a grudge so she was certain they would go right back to working on the letter. _Besides_, she thought as she pressed the doorbell, _she had given him all of Saturday to calm down and realize that she had a right to her own opinions and feelings._

Her confidence faltered when the door opened and she found herself facing his mother. She had met Elaine Whitman during a previous visit and it had been easy to see where Alex got his sense of humor.

"Hi, Mrs. Whitman, is Alex home?"

"He is, dear, but he's feeling a bit… under the weather; he doesn't feel up to seeing anyone today."

"Oh… um, okay."

Elaine saw the look of confusion that appeared on the girl's face before she was able to mask it, and she wondered once again about the loneliness she could sense in her.

"Well, I guess I'll just see him at school tomorrow," Isabel said as she turned to walk away. She paused after a few steps to look at the older woman. "Please tell him I hope he feels better soon."

Elaine's gaze was speculative as she watched the young woman walk away and as she closed the door, she decided it was time her son gave her an explanation better than the one he had provided the night before when he had scared years off of her life.

She had come home and found him trying to clean up after what was obviously a fight and she had insisted on taking him to the emergency room to make sure he was okay. She hadn't pushed for a better explanation for the obvious beating he had taken, allowing him to believe that she had bought his weak excuse, but now she wanted to know what was really going on.

Alex was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling when his mother knocked on his open door a little while later.

"I think we need to have a little talk about your new look and why you don't want to see Isabel," she said as she sat down at the foot of his bed.

Alex dropped the icepack he had been holding against the left side of his face. The area around his left eye was still badly swollen and the cheek below was already turning several different shades of purple. The emergency room doctor had assured them that Alex hadn't suffered any permanent damage and nothing had been broken, but that he would be uncomfortable for several days.

"There's nothin' to talk about, Mom."

"Why don't we start with you lying to me, hmm?" She nodded when he carefully turned his head to look at her. "You don't honestly think I believed you when you told me this was the result of a game of dodge-ball, do you? I insisted on going to the emergency room last night because all it takes is one punch to cause an internal injury that can kill you. The bruising on your abdomen and ribs is extensive and it was bad enough that the doctor insisted on having x-rays done last night."

"And if memory serves all they found was bruising. Right?" He got to his feet, his movements slow. "I'm fine, Mom, and in a few days I'll be back to normal."

"I don't appreciate your tone, young man. Now, sit down and tell me what happened and why you're avoiding Isabel."

"I'm not – "

"Sit down."

Alex responded to his mother's authoritative tone and sat down at his desk, his arms wrapped protectively around his tender ribs. "Some of the guys at school have a problem with me talkin' to Isabel and this is how they expressed their feelings on the subject."

"You could've told me this last night."

"So you could call Dad? There's no reason for him to cut his business trip short because I got beat up by the school bullies. He would've just told me how fightin' isn't the answer. Well, I've got news for him, Mom, sometimes a guy's just gotta use his fists; pacifism isn't always the answer either. A guy should at least _know_ how to fight if it comes to a point where that's his only option."

Elaine regarded her son's miserable features as he shifted to stare outside. His father was a pacifist by nature and they had that in common, but Charles had never expressed any interest in learning how to fight for any reason.

"Do you hold Isabel responsible for what those boys did to you?"

"What? No, of course not."

"Then why didn't you want to see her?"

Alex used his free hand to motion at himself. "Because I look like I just got beat up." He sighed. "She'll see it soon enough since tomorrow's Monday. Besides, I don't want her to think it's her fault." He smiled faintly. "She won't admit it, but she'll think it."

Elaine couldn't help but smile at his matter-of-fact tone. She had known about Alex's crush on Isabel Evans for years and she knew he was hoping the girl would eventually see him as more than a study partner. He saw past her beautiful exterior and he had an uncanny ability to sense when something was bothering her, and Elaine had a feeling that it unnerved the girl. She didn't fool herself into thinking that just because he was kind, sweet, and gentle that he was blind to the statuesque blonde's beauty. He was a normal, red-blooded male and she had caught him eyeing the girl on more than one occasion. He was very intuitive though and she knew while he obviously enjoyed the girl's outer beauty he was also attracted to that inner beauty that she kept hidden from the world.

Alex gently probed the swollen flesh over his cheekbone. "This isn't the least bit impressive," he muttered. "What kind of a chance do I have with someone like her if I can't even defend myself?"

"There are different ways to protect people, sweetie."

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Isabel sat on a bench in the park, not noticing the sunlight glinting off of the thousands of tiny light bulbs that were threaded through the leafless trees. Her eyes stared sightlessly at a point in the distance and her thoughts were directed inward as she tried to make sense of Alex's request for no visitors.

He had looked perfectly healthy the day before when she had seen him talking to Liz outside of the Crashdown. That thought made her pause and she wondered if that had anything to do with Alex suddenly not feeling well. _What if Liz had convinced him that Maria should be told the truth? What if she had convinced him that he shouldn't be spending time with her?_

Isabel pushed those thoughts aside, not liking the path that they were taking. She wasn't used to questioning her own worth and she didn't particularly care for the fact that it was Alex Whitman of all people who was making her take a hard look at herself.

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Maria's gaze wandered around as she followed Jacey inside to help carry more food out to the picnic tables set up around the in-ground pool in Skye's backyard. It was obvious that the family was very comfortable financially but there was nothing pretentious about them or their home. She knew from the many pieces of information she had gathered that Jacey's father was a surgeon and her mother also worked in the medical field, but she wasn't sure of the woman's occupation.

"Good grief, Mom," Jacey complained as she picked up another serving dish. "How much more is there?"

Skye smiled at the question and handed Maria a dish of warm peach cobbler. She'd had no qualms about putting the girl to work when she had offered to help and she hadn't complained once. "You two go on; I think we can handle it from here."

"Okay." Jacey was quick to agree.

"Are you sure?"

"You've done plenty, Maria." She smiled sincerely. "I appreciate the help, but my nephew would probably like to spend some time with you." She chuckled. "Trust me, he'll completely forget about everything else once the food's served."

"Well, if you're sure…"

"I'm sure, now go on."

"There's plenty more to take out," Catherine said after the girls had gone.

"What do you think they're gonna get up to, Catherine?" she asked, laughing.

"Grandma!"

Skye stood when a pair of voices shouted out and little feet could be heard pounding across the wood floors before her grandchildren came running through the door. They crashed into her legs and hurried to duck behind her just as their father came into the room.

"Colton, are you chasing your children through the house?"

"No ma'am. They were runnin', I was simply followin' so I could tell their grandmother that they were dryin' their hands on her lace curtains."

Skye looked down at the boys. At two and three, Landon and Zane already looked so much like their father, but they had their mother's adventurous spirit and outgoing personality. They were far from being innocent little angels but they knew better than to do what their father was saying they had done.

"Um-hmm, I think you were chasing them through the house."

"Okay," he admitted with a grin. "But they started it."

"Go check on your father and make sure he isn't burning anything."

"Mom, it wouldn't be a barbeque if Dad didn't set the food on fire at least once." He grinned and nodded. "C'mon, you two, let's go check on Grandpa."

The boys ran past him and he caught them by the straps on their overalls. Skye rolled her eyes when he wrapped his hands around the straps where they crossed over each other at the boys' backs and lifted them up off of the ground.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Colton, they're children, not luggage." She shook her head when he just smiled and carried the boys outside to his wife. "Now, back to your problem," she said, turning back to her sister-in-law.


	43. Chapter 43

**Part 43**

Maria was sitting on the porch swing on the back deck, watching the activity going on around her, amazed by the way the family interacted.

"It'll be fun," Maggie was saying as she walked down the steps with Summer. "And besides, while you and Sierra are staying with us this week, you can ride to school with me, Linda, and Christina."

"You guys all have practice after school though."

Maggie nodded. "Hmm, I see the problem. We'll have to think about that."

"What're we thinking about?" Sierra asked from her perch on the wide railing that bordered the deck.

"Aunt Catherine and Uncle John offered to let us stay with them while Mom an' Dad are outta town for their anniversary, so were we just discussing whether we wanna hang out after school for two hours while Maggie's at basketball practice or if we wanna ride back with Grumpy and spend two hours hanging out with him while we're waiting for her to get home."

Sierra shrugged one shoulder. "I don't mind riding back with the bear."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate that," Shawnee muttered under her breath. "She'll talk his ear off the whole time." She grabbed her cell phone when it rang, smiling at the name displayed on the small screen before hurrying inside the house to find someplace quiet to talk.

Maria's gaze settled on Michael, watching him as he stood behind one of his younger cousins, his arms around the boy as he demonstrated the proper way to hold and swing a baseball bat. He had joined some of his cousins for an impromptu game when the younger ones had decided they wanted to play. The older cousins had taken positions at the spots designated as bases and the outfield and it looked like they were having just as much fun as the children were.

Shyanne had taken the position of pitcher, tossing the plastic ball for the kids and Michael had remained behind the batters, giving them pointers, standing in for the littler ones, hitting the ball and letting them run around the bases, as well as acting as the catcher.

Maria's eyes followed the ball when Michael hit it for one of Sages' younger boys and the two-year-old made his way to first base where Yancey was crouched down, urging him on. Austin and Shadow made a big production of trying to recover the ball, making everyone laugh and giving the little boy the opportunity to get to second base.

Colton's oldest boy took his turn at bat and wasn't the least bit discriminating; he swung at every pitch with enthusiasm. He swung so hard on the second pitch that the momentum kept his body in motion and Michael just barely had time to jump back out of the way when the bat came dangerously close to connecting with a part of his body that had no business ever coming into contact with a baseball bat.

Maria turned her head when a commotion rose from the corner of the yard where Skye's husband had been proudly showing off his grilling abilities and discussing college sports. She did a double take when she saw the large Golden Retriever dodging several of the men who had been gathered around and her eyebrows rose when Skye's husband chased after the animal.

"Mom!" Jacey shouted. "The neighbor's dog's loose again!"

The backyard erupted in chaos when the dog spotted the ball Michael had just tossed back to Shyanne. She panicked when she saw the large animal bearing down on her and she threw the ball blindly in an attempt to take the focus off of her. The dog barked and jumped up in the air, catching the ball before dodging the people trying to catch him again. He led them on a merry chase for several minutes before he managed to work his way around to the opposite side of the pool.

"Do not get in my pool!" Kade shouted, brandishing his spatula like a weapon.

The dog dropped the ball and stretched out on the sun-warmed concrete, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted and watched his opponent lazily. The dog's head snapped to the left when the slightest breeze gave the plastic ball a gentle nudge and it rolled towards the pool. His ears perked up when it paused, poised on the edge of the pool, barking joyfully when it fell into the water.

"No, no, no!"

The dog paid no attention to the man as he stood and launched his shaggy body into the water.

"No!" Kade howled as he paced alongside the pool, making sure he was close enough to grab the beast when it was finished getting hair everywhere.

"What is going…" Skye's voice trailed off when she saw what was going on.

"What's goin' on? That animal's getting hair in the pool and it's gonna clog the damn filter up. Again!"

"Language, Kaden, there are little ears here today."

The dog exited the pool and walked up to Kade, dropping the ball at his feet and wagging his tail before he shook himself, sending drops of cold water flying in every direction. Kade grabbed the dog's collar with both hands and tried to pull the animal back away from the pool, but the dog planted his feet and refused to be moved. He yawned and lowered his head and Kade fell back on the grass when the collar slipped off.

"Dad!"

"Not now, Colton. Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Dad!"

"What?!"

Colton shrugged one shoulder and grinned when his dad turned to look at him. "I was just gonna tell you that the burgers are on fire."

"Damn it!" he shouted as he took off running towards the grill.

"Kaden!" Skye hurried after him, admonishing his use of certain words in front of the children while in the background chaos reigned once more as everyone else tried to catch their uninvited guest.

Maria took it all in and wondered if this was what it would be like when she and Michael had their own place. She had never been around a family like his and she knew it was going to take some time to get used to it. At home, it was just her mom and her; there weren't relatives who dropped by on occasion for a visit, or who might need to leave their children for a few days while they were out of town. Michael was very involved with his family and the people on the reservation and she was sure there would be times when his help would be needed with different tasks; digging a well, building something, or helping out with some other task. She would have to get used to having his rather large family in their home, and she would have to accept that there were going to be times when that would be an inconvenience.

He wasn't just her boyfriend or the guy she loved, she could actually see a future with him, living together, having children if it was possible, and being part of this large family…

She sat up straighter suddenly, hurrying to pull the little vial of cedar oil out of her pocket, twisting the cap off and inhaling the calming fragrance. The realization that she was thinking of Michael as a permanent fixture in her life shook her to her very core. It was a life-altering, earth-shattering revelation and it was occurring right in the middle of a family barbeque.

_What did all of this mean to her future? Could she be with just one guy for the rest of her life? Was she more than just a girlfriend to Michael? Was he even interested in a more permanent relationship? What if he didn't want something long-term? God, would he stay with her just because she knew his secret? What was going to happen after they graduated from high school? Would they be going to college? What if they went to different colleges? Could they even maintain a long-distance relationship? Would they want to?_

Her gaze settled on Michael as the questions flew through her mind as fast as lightening. She hadn't realized that there were so many unanswered questions about him, her, their relationship, and the future. She knew nothing was really set in stone; they hadn't talked about the future or what they wanted past high school. She lifted her hands to cover her face and she shook her head, unable to believe the surprising path her thoughts had taken; she hadn't expected to fall in love in love so young, to feel so in-tune with someone to the point of wanting it all – a future, marriage, children. She had been raised by a hippie for God's sake! She was supposed to want freedom, to crave it, and up until Michael had come into her life, she had thought that was what she wanted. Her parents were hippies, wasn't she genetically predisposed to want that same type of existence?

But out of nowhere, Michael and his take-no-prisoners attitude had come into her life and completely won her over, and she wanted everything that came with him. No, he wasn't the easiest person to get along with and she had a feeling that he was always going to be challenging, but she knew life with him would never be dull. Now if she only knew whether or not he wanted the same thing. Being in love was supposed to be pure heaven, so how come it was so complicated?

A child's laughter drew her out of her thoughts and she raised her head, her searching gaze finding Michael within seconds. Shysie was perched on his shoulders, her small hands held in his much larger ones as he did his part to corner the dog. The animal switched directions suddenly, charging towards Colton's youngest son when he picked up the ball that had been dropped at some point during the chase. Michael shifted so he was holding Shysie against his side, and he scooped the little boy up and out of danger just as the dog ran past. A group of his cousins took up the chase across the yard, ignoring his uncle's outraged shouts when the dog paused long enough to steal a hamburger off of the plate Kade was holding.

Michael set the kids down and crouched down beside them, taking the ball from the little boy and holding it in the palm of his hand while he explained something. He was great with children and it wasn't hard to visualize him with their own children someday. _Was it possible to fall even more in love every day?_ she wondered.

She stifled a giggle when Jacey went after the renegade dog and only succeeded in getting wet when the animal jumped up against her and planted his muddy paws on her shoulders. Michael laughed outright at his cousins' look of complete and utter disgust before showing off; he snapped his fingers and the dog sat down beside him. _No_, she thought, laughing when he instigated another crazy chase around the yard, _she couldn't imagine a future without him in it._

_What was her mom going to say? _She shook her head. She could almost hear her mother's worried voice as she explained how much Maria would be missing out on if she settled down at her age; other guys, other great loves, traveling across the country or around the world, the fun she would miss out on, and all of the other amazing things she wouldn't get to experience because she was in a serious relationship.

She smiled to herself as she imagined her mother's rant, easily conjuring up an image of Amy pacing around the kitchen, her hands flying as she made her points with manic gestures. She knew her mother would support her once she realized that Maria was certain that a future with Michael was what she wanted. _Well, okay_, she amended silently, _she probably wouldn't give her blessing until she had spoken with Michael herself. Which would certainly be an interesting conversation considering his tendency to be silent and her mother's penchant for talking at the speed of light._

Not far away, River Dog's eyes narrowed as he watched his grandson's girlfriend. The girl had been watching the insanity going on in the backyard for several minutes when her expression had suddenly changed from amusement to shock, and she had pulled something from her pocket that she was attempting to inhale with deep breaths. He knew that her revelation, whatever it was, had to do with Michael, and judging by the look of acceptance on her face as she watched his grandson, he was certain that it was a good thing.

Maria looked up when Michael's grandfather sat down beside her, his weathered face expressing concern.

"Is everything all right?" he asked. "You looked as if something was troubling you."

"Oh, um…" Maria cleared her throat, unsure of how to proceed. Her thoughts were not only about his grandson, but they were also private and she wasn't sure she wanted to share them. "Well, I was just thinking about Michael…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dakota watched the insanity taking place in the backyard for several minutes before he shook his head and turned back to the sandwich he had been making when the noise outside had distracted him.

"Ungh, now I smell like wet dog," Jacey complained as she walked in, wrinkling her nose as she pulled her tee shirt away from her body and glanced down at it disparagingly.

"That's what you get for tackling a wet dog," Michael commented as he rooted through the refrigerator for a drink.

"Y'know, I was gonna offer to get one of Colt's shirts for you, but now I think I'll just let you spend the rest of the day smelling like wet dog."

"How fitting," Dakota muttered.

"Why don't you shut up, Dakota," Jacey suggested, glaring at him. "No one asked for your opinion."

He shrugged and focused on his sandwich once more.

"Why don't you come with me, Michael, and you can get one of Colt's shirts to change into. I'm sure Maria isn't gonna want you anywhere near her smelling like that." She smirked when Michael quickly agreed with her.

"My bag's in the jeep; I'll go grab a shirt in a minute."

Jacey glanced between the two guys, uncertain about leaving them alone. Michael was in an unusually good mood, but Dakota was doing his best to antagonize him.

"Well, all right. I'm gonna run get changed real quick."

Michael nodded as he straightened up with a can of soda in his left hand. "Don't expect me to wait for you."

"I think if I were you, I'd wanna know what Grandpa's talking to Maria about."

He shrugged carelessly, aware that Jacey was trying to separate him and Dakota.

"Must be nice to have the whole family so concerned about you," Dakota snarled after Jacey rushed off to change. "Everyone knockin' themselves out to make a good impression on your girlfriend… must make you feel pretty important."

"I know what you're doin', Dakota, and I'm not fallin' for it. No one out there's goin' outta their way to impress Maria and I'm not gonna get in a fight with you so you can make me look bad."

"Certainly think a lot of yourself, don't you?"

"You're the one that made it about me." He shrugged. "I'm not the one who changed and started hatin' people based on the color of their skin. And if you wanna worry about the whole family, maybe you should think about how much your behavior disappoints them."

Dakota stared at Michael and his fists clenched at his sides. "Guess you'd know all about that."

"What?"

"Well, you don't seem to be too worried about disappointing Aunt Catherine." He took a bite of his sandwich and chewed it slowly. "Just seems to me you wouldn't wanna do that since her an' Uncle John took you in after your real family dumped you off in the desert. You gotta wonder what that was all about, huh? It's not like your real parents even bothered to leave you someplace where you'd be found; they left you more than twenty miles from the nearest town. Come to think of it, they didn't even leave you near the road. Seems to me your real parents didn't want you and they must've thought no one else would either."

Michael forced his hands to remain unclenched; he was seething inside and wanted nothing more than to let loose on Dakota but he knew that was what his cousin wanted him to do. At the same time though, he didn't want to get into a fight with the entire family and Maria around. His parents had raised him better than that and as he thought about them it gave him the incentive he needed to pull his temper under control.

"Guess it's a good thing for me that they were wrong," Michael said as he finished his soda and rinsed the can out. He tossed it into the recycle bin and carefully masked his inner turmoil as he looked at Dakota. "And I haven't done anything to disappoint my mom."

"No?" Dakota sneered. "Why don't you ask her how she really feels about your girlfriend? Because she's not as okay with your choice as you think she is."

Michael shrugged, trying to not pay attention to Dakota's words. "Whatever."

Dakota watched him carefully as he tried to decipher Michael's emotional state. The intruder was trying to play it cool, but he knew better. He almost had him; he only needed to push him a little bit more before Michael went right over the edge. "Like I said before, Michael, I blend in with the scenery and people forget I'm there." He finished his sandwich and washed it down with a drink of water. "People don't censor what they say when they don't realize someone else is listening."

Michael turned to face his opponent. _How could Dakota have changed so much? How could he take this much pleasure in hurting his own family? _Ignoring him was getting harder and harder for Michael. He wasn't the kind of guy to just let those kind of words go without responding to them… and Dakota knew it. "You think if you plant enough doubts, I'll confront my mom? I'm not gonna destroy my relationship with the family just because you're spreadin' lies around. I have no intention of doin' what you've done; I don't want them to be ashamed of me."

"They're not ashamed of me," Dakota snarled. _How dare he say that to him? His entire family had been stolen from him and it was because of outsiders like Michael that he was being ostracized by his own people! He had played all of them, charming them, and they had all fallen under his spell. They should love __**him**__, not Michael!_

Michael shook his head, amazed that Dakota could be so blind to the truth; his own family was uncomfortable with him because of how aggressive, racist, and confrontational he had become. It didn't have anything to do with the fact that John and Catherine had taken him into their home and raised him. "You run around braggin' about how proud you are to be Native American, but you use it as a shield and you hide behind it. You use it as an excuse to hate people, and you're foolin' yourself if you think anyone in this family's proud of you for it."

Dakota's furious gaze locked onto Michael when he turned and walked outside, ending the conversation. Hatred pounded though his veins and his field of vision narrowed until all he could see was the object of his loathing. His feet carried him outside and towards Michael before he even had time to consider his actions.

Michael scooped Shysie up when she tugged on his shirt and motioned to be picked up. He smiled and nodded when she posed a question in sign language. He was turning to see what Yancey was yelling about from the other side of the yard when a solid right hook connected with his jaw. He was vaguely aware of Shysie's startled cry when his arms locked around her in an effort to avoid dropping her as he staggered back several steps.

He hurried to hand her over to Sierra when he saw Dakota advancing on him again. "Take her inside," he barked as he turned back to face the other boy, his hands fisting in anticipation of the fight.

Anger and hurt collided inside of him, but the adrenaline that surged through his body swept the emotions aside and allowed him to focus solely on his opponent. Everything else faded into the background and the only sounds he could hear were his heartbeat and the blood rushing through his veins. He saw the punch coming this time and he ducked out of the way, bringing his right fist up to connect with Dakota's ribs.


	44. Chapter 44

**Part 44**

Catherine watched, horrified as the boys continued to exchange blows with precision and accuracy, drawing blood but not slowing down. John and Randolph hadn't yet been able to separate them, and had barely managed to avoid getting hit themselves when they had tried.

They reached out to stop their father when he walked past them, but he simply brushed their hands off. "Do you intend to let them beat each other to death?"

"How do you suggest we separate them, Dad?"

"The same way I separated the two of you when you were younger."

John exchanged a look with his older brother and shrugged. "Well, it's not exactly a river…"

Randolph glanced at the pool. "Bet it's cold though."

Their sons were only a few feet away from the edge of the pool and one good push sent them stumbling towards it. As soon as the dual sensations of being cold and soaking wet registered in their brains, the fight stopped and the boys hauled themselves up onto the concrete.

Despite the chill when the light breeze blew across his wet skin, adrenaline was still flooding his system and Michael surged to his feet, intent on going after Dakota again. He saw his uncle move to intercept Dakota and Michael tried to jerk free of his father's grip.

"Michael, let it go, Son."

Several yards away Dakota was fighting to get away from his own father, his eyes nearly black with hatred as he stared at Michael.

"Don't, Michael." John was careful to keep his hand on his son's arm as he moved around to meet his gaze directly. "I don't know what started this but we'll talk about it at home. Hey, look at me." He shook his head when the boy finally looked at him. "I know you well enough to know that this wasn't your fault, but I think it'd be best if you took Maria home and let us deal with this in your absence. Okay?"

"You want me to take Maria home?"

John frowned as he leaned forward to stare into his son's eyes. "Hey, this isn't a punishment; I just think the two of you need some distance."

Michael nodded. "I need to change first; I'll go get my clothes outta the jeep."

"You left a pair of boots in the truck last time we went hiking; make sure you put them on."

"I'll just change in the shop."

"No self-control," Dakota taunted. "Maybe that's why your own people left you in the desert to die. How much do you think she trusts you now, hmm? I mean, if you're capable of turnin' on someone you call family, what's to stop you from doin' the same to her?"

"Michael."

His head snapped to the side when his grandfather called his name and he backed off when the old man stared him down.

"Fine," he snapped, "I'm goin'."

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Maria watched the scene unfolding in front of her, wishing she were close enough to hear what was being said between her boyfriend and his cousin. She wondered what had happened to trigger Michael's reaction. The speed with which he had retaliated worried her because of the possibility that he could slip up and use his powers instinctively. But the longer she had watched them, the more she had become convinced that it wasn't as cut and dried as it appeared.

The children had quickly been herded into the house to keep them from seeing too much of the boys' upsetting behavior. The teenagers had stayed outside but their parents had been careful to keep them a safe distance away from the fight.

Once it had been successfully broken up and Michael had stalked around the side of the house, the parents had sent the teenagers into the house amid protests and complaints.

"Maria?" John smiled when she looked up at him. "We've got some things to take care of here so once Michael gets changed he's gonna take you home."

"You pushed him into the pool," she accused. "That water's probably freezing."

He nodded. "I know it probably seems cruel – "

"Seems? What if he gets sick from – "

"Hey, he doesn't get sick, remember?" he reminded her quietly. "I know it seems like it was a cruel thing to do, but it was preferable to him takin' anymore of a beatin' than he'd already taken. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that it's nothin' personal, but Michael's gonna take you home so we can take care of some things here."

"He's gonna feel like he's to blame if you send him away now," Maria protested, fully intending to defend Michael.

John sighed regretfully, knowing that it was a possibility. "He might. But he needs to put some distance between him and Dakota right now. They're both angry and ready to fight so it's best to keep them separated for a while."

Several of Michael's aunts and uncles made sure to speak to Maria, assuring her that asking Michael to take her home early didn't reflect badly on either of them and that she was welcome to join their family in the future. Michael's mother hadn't extended the same invitation, but she was nowhere to be seen so Maria assumed she had gone to talk to Michael.

"You're getting ready to leave?"

Maria looked at Jacey when she spoke up from the door that led into the house. "Yes, I think so."

"Can I walk with you? I think there's something you need to know before you leave."

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Michael threw his bag into the bed of his father's truck and ran his hands through his damp hair. He could feel his mother's disappointed gaze on him and it irritated him, stretching nerves already pushed uncomfortably close to the breaking point. He could feel his temper simmering just below the surface and he needed to leave before it boiled over and he said something he would regret.

"Michael, I want you to tell me what you were thinking going after him like that…"

His mother's concerned voice faded away, replaced by Dakota's taunting words, _"Why don't you ask her how she really feels about your girlfriend? Because she's not as okay with your choice as you think she is."_ He shoved his hands in his pockets when he felt his fingers curling into fists, clenched so tightly he was sure his knuckles were white from the strain.

Catherine fell silent when it became clear that he wasn't listening to a word she was saying. She had been surprised by her nephew's physical attack but she had been shocked by the intensity of Michael's response. She wasn't surprised that he had fought back once Dakota's behavior had escalated and turned physical, but she wished she knew what he had said to provoke such a strong reaction in Michael.

She could tell that he was upset, that he was angry and hurt over what had happened but he was keeping it all inside and refusing to talk about it. He hadn't once looked at her since he had come out of his uncle's shop after changing into dry clothes, choosing instead to stare at something only he could see.

"Michael, if you would just talk to me – "

"No, Mom, I don't wanna talk about it." He turned to walk over to the jeep he had borrowed from Linda and jerked the drivers' side door open. "There's nothin' to talk about."

Catherine glanced over her shoulder when she heard the back gate open and a few moments later she could see Maria walking towards them. "We'll talk about it when you get home then."

"Whatever. I've gotta go."

She bristled at his dismissive tone and shook her head. "You take her home and when you get back, make sure you go straight home; your father and I will be waiting. And, Michael, we will talk about this tonight." She turned to go back up to the house, nodding curtly as she passed Maria.

Maria studied his rigid posture as she walked along the driveway, debating the best way to approach him in his present mood. "Hey, are you – "

"I don't wanna talk about it!" he yelled angrily, slamming the door as hard as he could.

"Okay, first, I didn't ask if you wanted to talk about anything," Maria snapped, irritated that he was turning his anger on her. "I just wanted to know if you're okay. And, yes, I thought you might wanna talk – "

He turned to look at her, his anger so close to the surface that he never heard her shocked gasp when she got a good look at his battered face. "There's nothin' to talk about; I don't need to talk to my mom, my dad, my sister, you, or any-damn-body else!" His blood was boiling and he knew he was losing it but he couldn't seem to stop the words. "And no, I don't want any help dealin' with this because there's nothin' to deal with; it was a fight, that's all. He pushed because he's got a problem with me and I pushed back, that's all that happened!"

Maria opened the passengers' side door and stared at him, feeling her grasp on her own temper weakening in response to his angry shouting. "Don't yell at me because you're in a pissy mood, Michael; I'm not the one who pissed you off and hurt you!"

"This has nothin' to do with bein' hurt, and don't tell me what to do! Just get in so we can go; I'm not gonna stand out here and argue about this with you." He jerked the door open and got inside, starting the engine and turning the radio on.

Maria slid into the passengers' seat and closed the door, slamming it much harder than was necessary before she jerked the seatbelt around her body and locked it into place. "I don't appreciate your – " She was forced to stop speaking when he finally found the radio station he was looking for and turned it up so loud she was surprised the windows weren't blown out.

She shook her head and reached out to punch the power button on the stereo just as he backed out onto the street, slammed the gearshift into drive and hit the gas. His face was a mask of irritation as he glanced at her and savagely punched the power button, bringing the music to life once more.

"We are so not doing this," she muttered to herself. She jerked on the seatbelt when she tried to lean forward and it locked, preventing her from moving. She sat back, releasing the tension on the seatbelt so it would unlock, and then after testing it, she leaned forward again and punched the power button. She slapped his hand when he reached for it again, yanking the knob off and throwing it on the floor between her feet. "I'm not about to lose my hearing because you wanna listen to a bunch of idiots screaming into a microphone at the tops of their lungs. You wanna spend the next hour acting like a complete ass, fine, but you're gonna do it in silence."

Michael slouched down in the seat, fingers drumming angrily on the steering wheel. He needed something, anything, to fill the silence; otherwise he wasn't going to be able to prevent his mind from going places he didn't want it to go. He couldn't believe he had let himself fall for Dakota's tricks; he knew better than to let his cousin push him to the point where he reacted physically. He tried his best to avoid confrontations with his cousin when they were around the family, but most importantly in front of the kids because he knew seeing them fighting that way would scare the younger ones.

_Good job, Guerin,_ he admonished himself. There was nothing he could do about it now; the damage was done and he was probably going to be in trouble when he got home. His father would be the easier one to deal with, but his mother… she wasn't happy with him, and on top of disappointing her he knew his parting words had hurt her and pissed her off.

Maria risked a glance at her silent companion and wondered what he was thinking. She could tell he was beyond angry by the way his entire body was tensed; his jaw was clenched tightly as he tried to control his temper and his grip on the steering wheel and the gearshift were taut. She was certain he was hurting, both physically and emotionally though she didn't know if he would ever admit it.

She was angry… and, okay, she was a little hurt too, that he wouldn't talk to her about what had happened. She wanted him to confide in her, to tell her what Jacey had already told her. His cousin had overheard at least part of what Dakota had said to Michael and she was surprised that he had walked away from the confrontation at that point.

She sighed as she shifted in her seat, forcing her gaze to remain on the road ahead. Her thoughts eventually turned to River Dog and the advice he had given her over the weekend in regards to his grandson. Maybe he was right and Michael just needed some time to cool off and get his thoughts in order before he came to her and talked to her. She was sure he hadn't meant anything he had said when he had yelled at her before; certain that he was just trying to bury his feelings. It was hard to stay mad at him for very long since she knew some of what his cousin had said to him, and the anger began to slip away as the miles flew by.

By the time he pulled up in front of her house, most of her anger had dissipated and it took everything she had to stop herself from asking him to talk to her when he shifted into park and just sat there, staring straight out through the windshield. His jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscle there had developed a tic and he was still refusing to look at her.

_He needs space_, she reminded herself. Patience wasn't one of her strongest attributes but she knew that if Michael was going to come to her she had to back off and let him choose the time. She leaned down to pick up the knob she had removed from the stereo and placed it on the dashboard before opening the door. She stepped out and reached into the back for her bag before leaning down to look at him.

"I just wanna say two things and then you can leave, okay?" 

Michael shrugged his right shoulder and continued to stare straight ahead.

"First, I had a nice time this weekend and your family is great. And second… well, I just want you to know that I'm here if you need anything." Her hand froze just before coming in contact with his arm but after a moment's indecision her fingers wrapped around his tense forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze before she backed away. "Call me when you get home, okay? You don't have to worry that I'm gonna ambush you and expect you to talk about what happened. I won't answer, I'll let the voicemail pick up; just call and let me know you got home safely."

His nod was short and jerky but she took it as a good sign and stepped back to shut the door. When he didn't immediately drive off she assumed that he was waiting until she was safely inside before leaving.

Michael leaned his head back against the headrest and stared at the knob sitting on the dashboard. He reached out to pick it up, thankful that the stereo Linda had bought was an older model because otherwise it wouldn't have had knobs that could be easily reattached. He matched it up to the post and pressed it into place before turning the stereo on and adjusting the volume to a respectable decibel.

Why had he let Dakota get to him today of all days? _Because he pinpointed several of your biggest insecurities and exposed them,_ his conscience helpfully reminded him. It was the first time Dakota had taken his verbal attack to such a personal level and he hadn't bothered to hold back; he had been cold and vicious with his words, each of them chosen to cut deeper than the one before. The physical attack had been less surprising and easier to deal with because there he could fight back; it was a field where they could meet as equals and he didn't have to hold back.

He hadn't meant to take his anger out on anyone else, but he had been trying so hard to avoid losing his temper that he had snapped at his mother and then he had turned around and yelled at Maria. The difference was that he was going to have to deal with his mother when he got home and there was no way around that, but Maria had given him the option of dealing with it on his own terms.

That last thought caused him to slump down in his seat and he glanced at Maria's house, wondering if her mother was home. He had expected her to slam the door and tell him to go to hell when they got to her house; he hadn't even had the slightest expectation of understanding or sympathy from her. What shocked him though, was that she was the one he needed those things from.

Maria called out for her mother as she entered the house, and she tossed her clothes in the laundry room before getting something to drink. She found the note stuck to the freezer door by an alien-shaped magnet and she pulled it down to read it as she walked through the house to her bedroom.

Her mother had apparently decided to take off for a week to collect her thoughts and get them in order… in Sedona, Arizona of all places. She wasn't really surprised by her mother's spur-of-the-moment decision to take a short vacation at the institute; she had been distracted lately but she hadn't brought up whatever was bothering her and Amy always said that the institute's tranquil environment gave her clarity.

In her bedroom she dropped the note on her dresser and kicked her shoes and socks off. _At least now she knew why her mother hadn't answered her phone calls for the past twenty-four hours_, she thought as she grabbed a change of clothes and went to take a shower. Amy's note had reminded her to call Nina if she needed anything or if she had any problems, and let her know that she had gone shopping before leaving and the cupboards were fully stocked.


	45. Chapter 45

**Part 45**

After her shower, she wandered around the house for a few minutes before deciding to just settle down in her bedroom and either watch television or take a nap. She was still debating what she was going to do as she looked around for the remote that she was sure she had left on the nightstand beside the bed. She checked her phone to see if Michael had called even though she knew he wouldn't be home yet; it had been less than an hour since he had dropped her off and he probably wasn't in any hurry to get home.

A quiet tapping sound drew her attention to the window and she froze for a moment before it occurred to her that if it were someone trying to break in they probably wouldn't be announcing their presence. She turned to face the window, pushing back the red, blue, and green strands of beads that hung over it.

"Oh, my God," she whispered as she unlocked the lock on the frame and slid the window up. "Michael, what're you doing out here?"

"I was… it's just…" His voice trailed off and he looked away when he couldn't seem to put the right words together to tell her why he was there.

Maria shook herself when a shiver raced through his body and she realized that while it wasn't very cold out, the breeze blowing through his damp hair was probably giving him a chill. She took his right arm and motioned for him to climb through the window, easing it closed and locking it again once he was inside. She turned to face him and her hands came up to frame his face, careful to avoid the raw cuts and fresh bruises that marked his flesh. She stared into his dark eyes, reading the hurt there that had nothing to do with his physical wounds and everything to do with the emotional wounds inflicted with such calculated hatred by a member of his family who had maliciously turned against him.

"Oh, Michael," she whispered as she pulled him into her arms, holding his tense body tightly against her. Her right hand massaged his neck as she rubbed soothing circles on his back with the other, and before long she felt his arms come around her in a crushing grip.

Michael buried his face in the crook of her neck and felt peace wash over him, calming his frayed nerves. _How did she know what he needed?_ he wondered. She was always talking, but somehow, she knew that right now words were the last thing that he needed and she made no demands for an explanation as she held him.

After a while, Maria felt his muscles begin to unlock and his arms relaxed where they were wrapped around her so tightly. She looked up at him when he pulled back; his eyes were calmer than they had been before and she gently reached up to trace her fingers around the cut above his left eye.

"That looks like it hurts," she said quietly.

Michael nodded and followed her without question when she took his hand and pulled him after her, leading him through the hallway to the kitchen where she pushed him down into one of the chairs at the table.

"Stay here for a minute, okay? I'll be right back."

His gaze shifted to his right hand, feeling sick to his stomach when he saw where the flesh had split over his knuckles during one of the many punches he had thrown. For so long he had done everything he could to avoid getting into a physical confrontation with Dakota, but he hadn't been able to rein himself in when his cousin had hit him. He had lost it and he had gone after him with everything he had.

Maria saw the contemplative expression on his face when she came back into the room and she frowned when she placed a basin of warm water on the table and he didn't even realize she was standing there. "Hey, look at me."

"I was just thinkin'," Michael said, glancing up at her. "What're you doin'?" he asked when she dipped a rag into the water before wringing it out.

"Your face is a mess." Holding his chin in her left hand to keep him still she used the washcloth to clean the dried blood from his face. She was extra careful as she washed the area around the cut above his eye and the one that had split the skin across the bridge of his nose. Both of the wounds had bled freely but once his face was cleaned up, the damage didn't look nearly as bad. When she had finished with his face, she carefully cleaned his split knuckles, her touch gentle as she removed the dried blood from the jagged flesh.

He hadn't realized that in his haste to change clothes, he hadn't thought to clean his face up and now he could understand why his mother and Maria had both looked so worried. Maria's touch was a salve to his wounded soul and he allowed himself to accept it without question. His gaze followed her when she moved to one of the cabinets and came back with a first aid kit, opening it and lifting out a small bottle of antiseptic.

"Oh, don't be such a baby," she admonished when he flinched away from the medication she was attempting to apply to his wounds.

"I might be an alien, Maria, but that doesn't make me immune to pain, y'know."

Maria met his dark gaze and stared into his eyes for several moments before she nodded and grasped his chin once more. "I know," she said softly.

Michael had a feeling she was talking about more than he was, seeing deeper into his statement than he had intended. He winced when the stinging sensation from the antibiotic made his eyes water, but her firm grasp kept him from moving too far away. "I know I shouldn't have gone after him with my family there, but I don't regret it," he growled.

She merely nodded at his defensive tone and applied the antibiotic to the wound on the bridge of his nose. "I was just worried about you, Michael." She disposed of the Q-tip she had used for the medication and turned his head to the side so she could decide which bandage would be best. "You might as well get used to me worrying about you because I don't see that stopping any time soon." She leaned in closer to inspect the wound above his eye.

Michael shifted when she poked and prodded the area around the wound, squirming this way and that way in the chair in an effort to get away from her probing fingers. He hadn't expected her easy acceptance of his participation in the fight; he had assumed he would have to defend himself to her like he knew he was going to have to with his mother.

"This one's pretty deep…" Her tone was distracted, as if she were talking to herself as she turned to pull supplies from the kit. She tore the paper off of two butterfly bandages, pulling the backing off of the adhesive side, and carefully keeping the edges of the gash together as she pressed the small strips over the wound. As soon as she had placed a small bandage over the cut across the bridge of his nose, she leaned back to admire her handiwork.

"You finished?" he growled, but there was no heat behind the words.

"No, not yet."

"C'mon, Maria, what else could you possibly need to patch up?"

She didn't answer verbally; instead she carefully cradled his face in her hands and leaned down to press soft kisses to each of the wounds. "There, that's much better."

Michael stared up at her wordlessly when she stepped back and surveyed his features, and once again he wondered how she knew what he needed when he didn't even know. His hands came up to wrap around her wrists, holding them against his shoulders as he stood and pulled her up against his body. He knew he didn't have the words to tell her what her actions and her understanding meant to him, so he expressed his gratitude the only way he knew how to in this situation.

Maria melted against him when his mouth settled over hers and he tightened his arms around her. She felt his hands come to rest on her hips, his thumbs brushing against her skin when her shirt hitched up and exposed her midriff. "We should stop," she mumbled against his lips, well aware that her mother wasn't there to put a stop to them taking things any further.

"Um-hmm." His agreement rumbled through his chest and he shifted slightly to sit on the edge of the table, encouraged when she moved with him and rested her weight against him.

_Maybe just a few more minutes of this,_ Maria thought, tugging his tee shirt out of his jeans and sliding her hands beneath it to settle on his warm, muscled skin.

The feeling of her fingertips stroking against his flesh was a sensation he didn't want to end anytime soon. _What was a few more minutes?_ He shoved away the thoughts that kept nagging him, reminding him that he was already in more trouble than he wanted to be in and concentrated instead on her neck when she tipped her head back to give him better access.

He glanced away from her when a clock chimed the hour somewhere in the house and despite his annoyance at the interruption he wondered what time it was.

Maria turned her head to look at the clock on the wall. "It's six o'clock," she answered in response to his unspoken question.

He nodded regretfully and released her. "I should probably leave; my parents are waitin' to talk to me and my mom's pissed."

"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right." She sighed and dragged her fingertips against his ribs as she stepped back and smiled up at him. "You'll be okay to drive home?"

"I'd prefer to just stay here with you," he said, running his fingers through her hair to fix the mess he had made. "But, yeah, I'll be fine."

"You'll call when you get home, right?"

"Yeah, I'll call."

"Okay. And make sure you get something to eat on the way home. You haven't really eaten since breakfast and if you're gonna face your parents you shouldn't do it on an empty stomach."

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Michael stepped out of the jeep and stared at the front door of his house as he did his best to ignore the knot of apprehension that had been building during the last few miles. This was foreign territory and he didn't want to explore it any further because he felt like he was on the verge of losing something important and he didn't understand why.

"Hey, you're home."

He turned to look at his sister when she came up behind him. "Hey." He nodded at the horse she was leading. "You just get back or are you on your way out?"

"Getting back. I would've stayed out longer but there's no moon tonight so…"

"Right, too dark to ride."

Maggie glanced at the keys dangling from his left hand. "You're not just getting home are you?" She shook her head, but her tone was sympathetic when she spoke. "You know you were supposed to come straight home after your dropped Maria off."

He shrugged. "I guess that means Mom's still pissed."

"She was layin' into Dad pretty good after we got home."

He winced. "Because of me?"

"She was having a fit about him and Uncle Randolph pushing you guys into the pool; she's mad him for doing that." She shrugged. "I didn't get to hear much more than that because she told me to go find something to do and I wasn't about to argue with her."

Michael sighed and held the key ring out to her as he straightened up. "I'll just give these to you now since you're gonna take the jeep to Linda in the mornin'."

Maggie accepted the keys and watched him walk away. "Michael?" She waited until he paused and turned to look at her. "I don't know what Dakota said but you had every right to fight back."

He nodded in appreciation, glad that at least someone at home was on his side. He turned back to the house and let his relief over his sister's support give him the strength he needed to walk inside and face the music.


	46. Chapter 46

**Part 46**

Catherine paced around the living room like a caged animal while John watched from the relative safety of his recliner on the opposite side of the room. She had been working herself up into a fury since they had gotten home and it had only gotten worse once she had realized that Michael hadn't come straight home, as she had directed.

"Catherine, you said yourself the boy was upset when he left Skye's place; he's probably just tryin' to work some things out before he comes home. I don't think this is a matter of him defying authority – "

"And you don't think he's been with her this whole time?"

John sighed, worried about his wife and their son. She was going to push the boy away if she continued behaving this way. "You need to stop this, Catherine."

Catherine refused to take his advice into consideration. "Answer the question."

"Yes, I'm sure he's been with Maria, but I don't think it was out of defiance or calculated disobedience. I think she understands him on a completely different level than we do and that's part of the reason he's drawn to her."

"She hasn't known him long enough to understand him," Catherine scoffed. "He needs to come home where he can be taken care of. Did you see his face, John? I couldn't even tell how badly he was hurt because of all the blood that was – "

"It's not as bad as it looked," Michael interrupted, leaning against the doorframe.

Catherine whirled around to face her son, moving to stand in front of him and studying his damaged face. Her right hand came up to tip his head to the left so she could see the bandaged wound above his eye. "Well, that needs to be cleaned and bandaged properly."

"Mom, there's nothin' wrong with the way it is." He backed away when she reached up to brush her fingers over the bandaged area. "Maria patched me up and I'm fine."

"You're fine," Catherine repeated in a flat tone, clearly not believing a word of what Michael had said.

"I'm fine." He threw himself down on the couch and played with the hem of his shirt.

She took a deep breath and started the discussion that she was certain was going to be heated. "Good. Then you can explain what exactly you were thinking when you got into a fight with Dakota."

_What was his mother insinuating? That __**he**__ had started the fight? Didn't she know how Dakota was, always ready to start something? God, hadn't she been paying attention at all that afternoon? _"You wanna know what I was thinkin'?! I wasn't thinkin', Mom; he hit me and I hit him right back. There really wasn't a lot of thought put into it."

"Do you know how easily one of the children could've been hurt? You were holding Shysie, what if he had hit her?"

"What if…" He shook his head as he stared at her incredulously. "He hit me first and I made sure Shy was outta the way before I hit him back. I'm not gonna apologize for getting into a fight with him; he deserved everything he got."

John observed his wife and Michael during the exchange, easily seeing that it wouldn't be long before it was out of control. This was not going well and Catherine was too blind to see that Michael was getting more and more furious with her and the situation. He sighed when she barreled ahead with the next barrage of questions.

"What did he do that was so different from every other time he's tried to provoke you? You've always managed to walk away, so what did he say that pushed you to the point that you were willing to risk others getting hurt?"

Michael narrowed his eyes at his mother. "Nobody else got hurt." _He had made sure of that._

"I expect an answer, Michael. Did he say something about your girlfriend?"

Michael's gaze shot to his mother, his mind racing to justify what sounded like contempt in her voice. _Was Dakota right? If he was right about this, what else had he been right about?_

"Is that it?" Catherine demanded when he remained silent. "He said something about your girlfriend and you were defending her?"

Michael shoved himself to his feet, knowing he hadn't imagined the look of disapproval on her face. "My girlfriend's name is Maria!" he shouted angrily. "And to answer your question, no, Dakota didn't have much of anything to say about her. That fight would've happened a helluva lot sooner if he'd targeted her and I wouldn't have waited for him to throw the first punch!"

"Okay," John said, moving between his wife and his son. He had quickly realized that he was going to have to be the mediator if they were going to get anywhere. They were both angry and defensive but they were miles apart when it came to the reasons for their emotions. "Why don't we all take a minute to calm down, all right? Michael, go get you somethin' to drink, Son. Did you stop and get somethin' to eat on your way home?"

"Yeah, Dad, I ate a while ago."

John nodded at the barest hint of a smile on the boy's face and wondered if that meant Maria had fed him before he left her house or if she had insisted that he stop and get something on his way home. He turned to his wife when their son left the room. "I'm tellin' you, Cath, you're pushin' him too hard," he said, his voice low. "You of all people should know what a dangerous path it is that you're takin'."

"It's not the same thing," she insisted.

"The hell it's not. If you keep goin' after Maria you're gonna push him right out of your life, and Catherine, that's one regret you don't wanna live with." He shook his head. "And you don't want him to have to live with it either."

"This is not the same thing that happened with your mother."

"If you make him choose between you and the woman he loves, then it'll be the same thing in the end."

Catherine shook her head and turned to walk out of the room, refusing to acknowledge her husband when he hurried to follow her. She rolled her eyes when they entered the kitchen and she saw Michael disconnecting from a phone call.

"Your father didn't tell you to come in here to make a phone call."

Michael sighed and tossed the cordless phone on the counter. "I promised Maria I'd call and let her know I got home safely."

"Why?"

John rolled his eyes at his wife's obtuse question. _Had she forgotten what it was like to be in love and worried about the other person?_

"I don't know, Mom. Because she was worried about me and she asked me to call." The edgy, defensive tone quickly resurfaced in response to his mother's questions.

"Catherine, why don't you sit down and give the boy some space." As soon as she had complied with his request he took a deep breath and looked at their son. "All right, Michael, why don't you explain what happened with your cousin. What'd Dakota say?"

"What'd Dakota say?" he repeated, snorting. "Where should I start? He said so many flattering things." He started to pace around the kitchen, his agitation easily visible. "His central theme today was how I was left out in the desert because my biological parents didn't want me…" His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides and his pacing became more restless and erratic. "How they left me so far away from the nearest city and any passable roads because they didn't want me and therefore no one else would either."

John listened without interrupting, hearing the hurt intermingled with the anger in his son's voice. His abandonment in the desert was a very sensitive subject and it wasn't something he talked about very often. Dakota had struck a nerve with his latest attack and it was becoming more and more clear to John that it was the reason behind Michael's seemingly easy retaliation when his cousin had taken the confrontation to the physical level.

"Michael, you know we love you," Catherine said when he paused in his ranting, his back to them and his hands curled around the edge of the counter. "You can't pay any attention to what Dakota said – "

"Why not, Mom? It's not like it wasn't true; I was left out in the desert miles from any kind of civilization. God, Mom, they didn't intend for me to be found! They left me out there hopin' I'd die!"

Catherine shot to her feet and crossed the room to stand in front of him. "Don't say that, Michael," she begged. "We don't know why you were left in the desert."

"Tell me that the thought's never crossed your mind," he challenged. "I'm not denying that you love me; I'm just questioning whether or not I was ever expected to survive bein' abandoned out there. It's not somethin' I can just ignore, Mom. Maybe I don't think about it constantly, but it's always there in the back of my mind."

"You can't allow Dakota to provoke you like that, Michael. I know that what he said hurt you, but you can't just fight with him like you did today."

"He came after me! I didn't throw the first punch, and if he had just left me alone nothin' would've happened today."

Bitterness invaded Catherine at Michael's defense of his behavior. _She had raised her son well but since Maria had come into his life he seemed to be forgetting everything she had taught him! _"Unless he had said something about your girlfriend, right? Because then you would've been quite comfortable starting the fight, that's what you said."

"Why do you keep goin' after her?" Michael yelled. "What's she done to keep you so focused on her?" He slammed his fists down against the counter in frustration. "Was he right about you, Mom?"

"What?"

"Dakota, he kept goin' on about how I should ask you how you really feel about her. Was he right when he said that you don't approve of Maria?" He nodded when he saw her startled expression. "He wasn't lyin' about it was he, Mom?" He shoved himself away from the counter and moved across the room, putting distance between them. "So, if he was tellin' the truth about that, what's to say he wasn't tellin' the truth about the rest of it?"

_Damn, he had cornered her. But, denying his accusation would be an outright lie._ She searched frantically in her mind for something that would put him at ease, the right words to reassure him. "It just concerns me that you're getting too involved with this girl, Michael. I have every right to be concerned and if that has any bearing on why you got into that fight – "

"I already told you why I got into the fight. Believe me or don't believe me, I don't care, but don't blame it on Maria. I have every right to defend myself against Dakota or anyone else and – "

"You cannot get into fights – "

_That was it!_ Michael had reached the end of his rope and he was out of patience. "I'm almost eighteen years old, Mom! In a few months I'll be an adult by society's standards; you can't tell me what I can and can't do anymore!" He stormed out of the kitchen and seconds later the door to his bedroom slammed shut.

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_Monday mornings had to be the worst day of the week_, Maria thought as she slid into her chair at the back of the classroom. She opened her Economics textbook and flipped through it to find the assignment Mrs. Albrecht had written on the blackboard. Class wasn't scheduled to start for another eight minutes but there had been no reason to loiter at her locker so here she was, early for class.

She wondered how Michael's talk with his parents had gone. She didn't pretend that she wasn't worried about him; his voice had been strained when he had called to let her know he was home the night before. He hadn't had much time to talk but it was apparent that things had started off badly, and she had a feeling that his mother was responsible for that. She couldn't understand why Catherine seemed to be holding Michael accountable for Dakota's actions; it didn't make any sense.

"Are you sure you've got the right guy?"

She looked up when a couple of girls from the basketball team sat down several rows over. They were obviously in the middle of a conversation and they didn't lower their voices as they continued to talk.

"Totally. My mom was on duty Saturday night and she said his mom brought him in; she said he looked like someone had beaten the crap out of him."

The second girl shook her head negatively. "Whitman just doesn't seem to be the type to get into a fight."

"Well, I doubt he started the fight."

Maria frowned. _They couldn't be talking about Alex Whitman, could they?_

"Are you guys talking about Whitman?"

She watched the basketball players look up when one of the cheerleaders came in and sat down in the front row.

"Yeah. Why? You know something?"

"Well, rumor is he had a run-in with some of the guys on the football team." She rolled her eyes and turned to face the front of the room. "He had to know he couldn't keep following Isabel around like a lovesick puppy. He's pathetic."

Maria didn't wait around to hear anymore; she had heard enough to be sure they were talking about Alex. The thought that some of the jocks had gotten together to beat him up had her seeing red as she stalked along the corridors searching for Alex. The crowded halls were beginning to thin out courtesy of the warning bell and she quickly made her way to the hall where his locker was.

His back was to her as she approached and she immediately noticed how stiff his movements were as he reached inside his locker to retrieve his books.

"Alex?"

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Isabel stormed through the halls without seeing the people hustling to get out of her way. Normally it amused her, but today she was on a mission and she didn't have time to be distracted.

Rumors were flying like crazy about Alex and some of the guys from the football team. She never believed a rumor until there was substantial proof and in this case Alex was the proof she needed to see. She slowed down as she neared the short corridor where his locker was located and froze when she realized someone else was approaching him. She took a couple of steps back so she couldn't be seen as she eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Alex, what happened? Are you all right?"

_Maria_, she thought, annoyed. _What was she doing there?_

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Alex turned around slowly to look at Maria. He wasn't surprised that she had come looking for him or that her expression was a combination of concern and anger as her eyes traveled over him, cataloging his injuries.

"Is it true?" she demanded, gently turning his head to the side so she could see the worst of the bruising.

"What?"

"Did you get beat up by some of the football players because you've been hanging around with Isabel Evans?" Her voice was harsh, showing the anger she didn't waste time trying to hide.

"Is that the rumor goin' around?" he asked, neither confirming nor denying whether or not it was true.

She was quickly becoming fed up with his avoidance tactics. "Alex, I heard a couple of the basketball players talking about it; they said you were in the emergency room Saturday night."

Alex wasn't blind and he could tell that she knew he was avoiding the subject. "Y'know how my mom is, Maria," he answered cautiously.

"Your mom might be extra cautious where you're concerned, but this looks like a good reason for caution. God, Alex, have you looked at yourself in the mirror?" She was having a difficult time looking at his face, the livid purple bruising a painful reminder of how much things had changed between them. How could he not see what was happening in his own life? Why couldn't he see that this was a direct result of his involvement with Isabel Evans?

"It looks worse than it really is, and in a couple of days it'll just be a memory." He shook his head slowly. "You don't need to worry about this."

"No matter what's happened between us I still worry about you." She motioned to his face and shook her head sadly. "This only proves that I was right to be concerned about you guys getting involved with Max and Isabel. Ever since you started hanging around with them it's been nothing but secrets and lies – "

"Maria – "

"Alex, why won't you guys let me help you with whatever you're hiding from everyone?" Maria asked, desperate for an answer, for the truth.

Isabel felt her breath catch in her throat. _This was it, he was gonna tell Maria the truth and reveal their secret._ She could see it in his face, the need to tell Maria what they had been keeping from her. His voice was pleading when he spoke again and Isabel couldn't hide her surprise when he didn't reveal their secret with his next words.

"Maria, we never meant to hurt you."

"Then why do you keep shutting me out and lying to me? Before you started hanging around with them there were no secrets between us."

Isabel bit her bottom lip when she saw his hesitation.

"Maria, you know we'd never do anything to intentionally hurt you; tell me you know us better than that."

"You're talking in circles," she said, sounding almost defeated. She reached up and the tips of her fingers grazed his bruised cheek. "Maybe you won't admit what happened, but I hope she's worth what it's gonna cost you to be with her."

"Why do you assume that bein' around her and Max is dangerous?"

_Oh, where to start answering that one? There were so many reasons for her to believe that they were dangerous._ "I don't know. Maybe because you and Liz have suddenly become secretive and you lie to me on a constant basis, or how about the fact that the reason you got beat up is because some of the guys on the football team took a dim view of the Ice Queen's image being tarnished by being seen with you."

Alex winced, knowing that she had a point. Still, he had expected better from Maria. She was quick to react, but she was also quick to forgive. But, it didn't look like she was on the path to forgiveness where Max and Isabel were concerned. "You don't even know them, Maria; since when are you so judgmental about – "

_Judgmental? He was honestly asking her that to her face after everything that had happened between them the last few weeks? Was he kidding?_ "Do you know how it feels to be lied to and treated as if you're too stupid to realize it? It hurts, Alex. We've spent our entire lives in each other's back pockets and because the two of you have suddenly decided that I can't be trusted with whatever little secret you've got – that quite obviously involves Max and Isabel Evans – you've shut me out of your lives."

Alex felt bad after hearing Maria's speech. _She was right. But hey, she was doing the same thing. Her boyfriend, Michael? Michael who? He'd had to learn about him from Liz, who had met him accidentally. _"I don't recall you tellin' us that you've got a new boyfriend… one that Liz seems to think might be dangerous."

"You have no right to say that about him," she snapped. "You don't even know him."

"No, I don't," he agreed, the fight draining out of him. "And you don't know Max and Isabel either."

"I haven't gotten beaten up, or had to lie to my friends, or been forced to keep alienating secrets from my friends because of my involvement with him." Maria was trying very hard to control the volume level of her voice because it wouldn't take much before she was shouting at him. She had a quick temper and she really didn't want to cause a scene in school.

"But would you?"

Maria shook her head. "Before you guys started acting differently, no, there's nothing that I would've ever kept from you."

Alex didn't like where this was going. He had always believed, based on his knowledge of Maria's character that she would understand. That she would get why they had behaved the way they had, once she knew the truth. _What if he was wrong?_ "And now?"

Maria watched Alex closely. This was the guy she had spent countless nights watching Star Trek and X-Files episodes with. This was the guy who had helped her pull pranks on some of the biggest idiots in high school. This was the guy who had helped her with her homework so many times over the years. This was the guy she sang with. _Was she ready to throw that all away?_ "Now? Now, we're strangers, Alex; I don't even know you anymore." She backed away from him and turned to hurry down the corridor, going back to class before the final bell sounded.


	47. Chapter 47

**Part 47**

Alex turned to face his locker after she left to go back to class and he thumped his forehead against the cool metal surface several times in frustration. The action brought the jackhammers back to life in his skull and he winced. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath as he leaned back, opened the locker up again, and pulled his Calculus book back out. He shoved the heavy book into his backpack and held it by its straps, his muscles still too sore to even think about carrying it over his shoulders. He was shifting the bag to his right side as he turned away from his locker and found himself facing Isabel.

Her expression was unreadable as she visually perused his injured face and after a moment she met his gaze. "Who did this to you?" she asked, careful to keep her voice under control. She hadn't expected to feel the surge of anger that pulsed through her system when she finally saw the damage he had suffered.

"Does it matter?" He carefully shifted the bag onto his right shoulder. "It was just a misunderstanding and I really need to get to class."

"Was it about me?"

Alex cleared his throat and searched her questioning gaze for several long moments. He forced a strained smile onto his face and shook his head. "No, Isabel, it was about me."

"Are you lying to me, Alex?" Her right hand settled on his arm and her expression turned pensive as her eyes locked onto something he couldn't see. After a few moments she dropped her hand from his arm and for just a split second he was sure her eyes were filled with anger, but then she blinked and when she met his gaze again they were clear. "You didn't answer my question."

"What reason would I have to lie to you?"

Isabel shook her head. "Because you have some misguided belief that I need to be protected from the truth?"

"Don't worry, Isabel, I haven't deluded myself into thinkin' that you need any protection that I could offer." His tone was self-deprecating and he shook his head as he shifted to go around her. "Like I said, this wasn't about you, it was about me." He glanced up when the final bell rang. "I'd better go; I've got an exam and I'm late."

Isabel watched him go, his movements slow and calculated to create the least amount of pain. She had gotten flashes of what the football players had done to him, supposedly on her behalf, and she could tell that he was in a lot of pain because of it. She had forced her emotions under control, surprised by the force of her anger. She had quickly decided the unexpected feelings were simply a reaction to the unfair treatment he had received, and that she would feel the same way if he had been anyone else. _The football players had no idea what they were in for_, she thought angrily. _Beating up someone like Alex for no good reason – _

"Ms. Evans, shouldn't you be in class right about now?"

She turned to look at the vice principal and nodded, shelving her thoughts of revenge as she hurried to class.

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Alex tossed his lunch sack on the table and carefully dropped his lanky frame onto the bench seat across from Liz. She glanced at him and did a double take when she saw his battered face.

"Oh my God, Alex! What happened?"

He probably would've smiled but his entire face hurt so he just shrugged his shoulder on his uninjured side. Liz had a tendency to block out things like gossip so he wasn't really surprised that she hadn't heard the rumors.

"Some of the football players seem to think Isabel's reputation as one of the elite is in danger because we've been seen together a couple of times."

"You've been seen together?"

"It's not a big deal," he answered as he pulled his sandwich out and placed it on top of the sack, still wrapped. He had grabbed it out of habit, even though he didn't have the slightest bit of an appetite for anything that required much chewing. "We were out renting a movie the other night – "

"You guys rented a movie together?"

"No, it wasn't like that, Liz. It was research for somethin' we're workin' on together."

"You don't wanna tell me what it is?"

"Not yet. I promise I'll tell you about it when we've got somethin' concrete though. But until then I'd prefer to keep it between Isabel and myself, okay?"

Liz wondered if it was connected to whatever _project_ they had claimed to be working on a while back, right after Max had destroyed the letter. "Fair enough." She motioned to his face. "Does she know about what happened?"

"If she does it's not because I told her."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when you told me that Max gets flashes when things get intense?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know if they both have that ability?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"Because I suspect she has that ability as well; she asked me about what happened and when I told her it wasn't about her she put her hand on my arm and I swear she looked like she was in a trance for several seconds."

"But you still didn't tell her the truth?"

"Technically, yes, I told her the truth." He shrugged his right shoulder. "They came after me because I'm bad for her image, Liz, not the other way around."

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"Why do I have to give it to him?"

Isabel rolled her eyes when her brother whined pathetically. "Because I can't give it to him, Max; he would obviously read more into it than would be intended so it makes much more sense for you to give it to him."

"Don't you think it's gonna look just the slightest bit odd for me to give another guy – "

Isabel sighed, not feeling like getting into an argument with her brother. "Max, it's the nice thing to do, and everyone knows you're one of the nicest guys around. No one will think twice if you give Alex soup because it's a thoughtful gesture."

Isabel, caring about someone like Alex… this was new. Not that his sister wasn't charitable, but she was more into the impersonal side of charity. "But if you give it to him he's gonna think what exactly? That you're declaring your undying love for him?" He glanced down at the heated container of soup that she had pushed into his hand when he had met her coming out of the cafeteria.

"I just think it'll be better if it comes from you, okay?" Isabel was having a difficult time containing her temper. _Of all the days to be difficult, Max had chosen today to do his best to piss her off._

Max opened his mouth to argue, thought better of it, and just nodded and followed her to their table. His gaze followed his sister's determined stride and he easily read the signs of her anger; no one else knew her well enough to pick up on it, but he could sense the anger simmering just below the surface of her placid expression. He wondered if she had any idea that she was broadcasting her emotions loud enough for him to receive them and quickly decided that she was unaware of it.

"I take it you've talked to him today?"

Isabel glanced at her brother, trying to decide if he was trying to imply anything or not. "Well, it would've been rude to see him and not ask what had happened, wouldn't it?"

"Did he say what happened?"

"No," she snapped, irritated with all of his questions.

Max smiled at her annoyed tone, knowing how much that would have irritated her. He had heard the rumors, and in gym class he had heard the captain of the football team laughing and talking with a couple of the other players about what they had done on Saturday. Combined with his sister's mood, and her sudden insistence that he should be the one to make sure Alex had something he could actually eat, he had no doubt the rumors were true. He had a feeling that some of her anger was actually directed at herself because she felt just the slightest bit guilty about what had happened to Alex. _Not that she was going to admit it_, he thought as they reached their table and she sat down as far away from Alex as possible while remaining on the same bench.

He sat down next to Liz and reached across the table to place the container of soup on the table in front of Alex. "I thought you might have better luck with this," he said by way of explanation. "I figured eatin' anything that requires chewing probably isn't real high on the list of things you wanna do right now."

"Thanks," Alex mumbled, reaching for the container.

He hid a smile when Alex sent a suspicious glance in Isabel's direction but before long he was focused on his lunch and Max turned to his girlfriend. His heart flip-flopped in his chest when she smiled at him and they discussed several different topics as they ate lunch and waited for their companions to take their leave.

"Do you know why he got beat up?" Liz asked after the other two had finished their lunches and gone off in separate directions.

"From what I understand some of the guys on the football team don't like that he's been seen with Isabel." He frowned. "I guess they've been workin' on that project she mentioned a while back, but she hasn't said anything about it."

His mention of the project Alex and Isabel claimed to be working on had Liz wondering about it again. She knew it wasn't a class assignment and as Max talked she began to consider that maybe they were still working on translating the letter she had found at Kyle's grandfather's house. _Was it possible?_ she wondered. _What other reason would the two of them have to be spending so much time together?_ They weren't a couple, so they weren't spending time together romantically; Alex wouldn't have been able to hide that or keep it a secret.

The day at the quarry Isabel had opposed her brother's decision to destroy the letter and Alex had questioned the decision as well, but nothing more had been said about it. As far as Max was concerned the situation had come to a conclusion; he had deemed it as unsafe and had destroyed the only link they might have had with their past. She hadn't really agreed with his decision, feeling that Isabel had as much right as he did to decide whether pursuing the translation was worth the possible danger it might put them in. If that was what Alex and Isabel were working on then she wasn't going to say anything to Max about it; they didn't know if it would really lead anywhere, so why give him information that would only cause him to worry and create tension within their group. If Alex was still trying to decode the letter for Isabel then she wasn't going to do anything to keep the other girl from learning about her past.

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Isabel sat down in one of the booths near the back, one that she knew for a fact wasn't in Maria's section, and opened her Psychology textbook. For the next hour she worked on homework while surreptitiously watching Maria and thinking about the conversation she had overheard between the waitress and Alex that morning. She glanced up when a noisy group entered the café and she felt her blood begin to boil when several of the football players pushed two tables together, dragged their chairs over, and sat down.

She forced her temper back under control and watched with interest as Maria took their orders, slapped wayward hands away, and catered to them for the duration of their stay.

"Are you kiddin'?" Brad crowed proudly in response to a question from one of his teammates. "That geek folded like wet cardboard; no clue how to defend himself."

After a ridiculous amount of food and much self-congratulation, all but four of the boys had taken off. Isabel's gaze was once more drawn to Maria when she stopped at the table to see if they needed anything else. The running back, Larry Martin, made a lewd comment that earned him a glass full of soda being dumped right in his lap and he flushed bright red when the other guys laughed out loud, drawing attention to him. Maria didn't look the least bit worried when he threatened payback before hurrying out of the café.

"Guess you heard about what happened to Whitman," Ken said, still grinning about their friend's mishap.

"You have no idea who I am, do you?" she asked, shaking her head. She reached out to snatch up the tip they had left under a saltshaker and stuffed it into her apron. "Alex Whitman is one of my best friends, and I not only heard about what happened to him, I saw what you did to him."

"You should be thankin' us then," Brad stated. "It'll toughen him up."

"Because you think he's weak? He's kinder, smarter, and stronger than all three of you put together."

Patrick snorted. "Are you kiddin'? The only sport he's good enough to play is dodge ball. And smarter? If he's so smart why'd he get his ass kicked?"

"Being strong has nothing to do with whether or not you can play a sport. As for being smarter… he's careful about who his friends are."

"Huh?"

"For the past hour you've ordered a ton of food, numerous drinks, and not once did you stop to ask yourselves if you should check your orders."

"Check our orders? For what?"

"Alex is my friend, I know that you're the ones who hurt him, and I'm the lucky one who got to serve you today, so you do the math." She walked away from the table, moving on to another customer ready to place an order.

"You think she spit in the food or somethin'?" Patrick asked, his voice low.

Isabel just barely caught herself before she laughed out loud. She didn't think Maria would stoop to that level, but the football players obviously weren't as certain and for the next few minutes they checked what little food remained on the table, searching for evidence that she had done something to their food or drinks.

They finally left, disgruntled and still worried that their food had been tampered with, and as Maria cleared their table off, she chuckled to herself. "Idiots," she muttered, shaking her head.

Isabel finished her homework before packing her things up and leaving the café. She had no intention of admitting that she was impressed with Maria's ability to put the football players in their places and defend Alex despite the distance between her and her friends. However, she did intend to make sure they suffered for what they had done. She just hadn't decided how to make that happen yet.


	48. Chapter 48

**Part 48**

To most people the desert was harsh and unforgiving, lonely and desolate, but to Michael it was a place that provided solace, a place where he could think without worrying whether or not others felt like he was shutting them out. His gaze swept over the place where River Dog had found him and the familiarity of it made him feel comfortable and apprehensive at the same time. The contrasting feelings had always existed when he came back to it, but his connection to it was strong enough to override the apprehension.

His first memories were of this place and even though he knew the answers he searched for wouldn't be found there, he continued to come back. He hopped up to sit on the flat rock and his hand brushed over the cold, pitted surface, shivering slightly as he thought back to his first nights in the desert. He leaned back against the rock behind him and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, pulling his legs up and bending them at the knees as he stared up at the stars that filled the clear night sky. The full moon cast its white light over everything, creating shadows that had seemed sinister when he was a little boy, but now they appealed to his artistic side.

There were no clouds in the sky, which meant that it was colder, but Michael's thoughts were so jumbled up that he barely noticed the temperature. He had gone home after school, but had only stayed long enough to do his chores and homework. He had grabbed something to snack on and jumped back in the truck, driving out into the desert before his parents came home from work.

He had so many conflicting feelings warring inside of him and he didn't know where to even begin trying to sort them out. For the first time in his life he had found himself in a position that had him on opposing sides with his mother and he didn't know how to deal with it. Sure, they'd had their differences, but never had something like this come between them and made things so uncomfortable and confusing.

How was he going to find a way to balance things out again? His mother had always said that she wanted him to be with someone who made him happy, someone who understood him, and loved him for who he was. He had found that with Maria, so why wasn't his mother happy about it? She had seemed to be happy about it when he and Maria had first started seeing each other, so why was she suddenly taking issue with the girl he had chosen to be with?

"You look like a man with a lot on his mind."

Michael looked up when his grandfather stepped into view, not surprised that he hadn't heard him approaching. River Dog was an experienced tracker and hunter and he could sneak up on anyone without making a sound, something that had been quite inconvenient when Michael had been a child and looking for new and interesting ways to get into trouble.

"Hey," he mumbled in greeting.

River Dog frowned at the dejected tone in his grandson's voice and he moved closer to brace his right hand against the rock Michael was sitting on. "Your mother called; she said you missed dinner," he said quietly. He waited patiently to see how his grandson responded, intending to direct the conversation from the boy's cues.

"I grabbed somethin' to eat on my way out." Michael shrugged and his gaze turned back to the sky. "I wasn't real hungry anyway."

River Dog sighed and followed his grandson's gaze to the stars above; it was never a good sign when the boy wasn't hungry. "Michael, I know your mother's havin' a hard time with your involvement with Maria – "

"Why?" he interrupted. "Why's she got a problem with it? God, what's she think Maria's gonna do?" He jumped down off of the rock and started to pace, grains of sand flying from beneath his boots with each furious step. "Do you know she accused Maria of bein' the reason for my fight with Dakota? I even explained what happened, why we got into the fight and I don't think she believed me. It's like she's got somethin' against Maria, and I don't understand it."

River Dog considered how to approach the sensitive topic as he watched the younger man pace, agitation etched clearly in his features and in the tense lines of his body. "Michael, when a young woman comes into a young man's life and has the kind of effect on him that Maria's had on you, well, it can be of some concern to a mother who's been the most influential woman in her son's life up until that point."

River Dog might as well have been speaking Chinese for all the sense he was making to Michael. _His mother's influence? What'd that mean? What influence, what was the link between his mother and Maria? _"I don't understand."

The old man smiled at his grandson's ignorance. _Young men could be so dense. _"Who was the first woman in your life, Michael?"

Michael shrugged. "My mom."

"And who would you say the most influential woman in your life has been?"

He shrugged again. "My mom."

His grandfather nodded. "Catherine's been the single most important woman in your life since you were six years old. She's been there for every step you've taken from the first moment you entered her life and became a part of her family. And now, after twelve years you're suddenly pulling away and she's comin' to the realization that you don't need her the way you did before." He smiled at the frown on his grandson's face and shook his head as he continued. "You've always had an independent streak and you've never been content to wait for things to happen; your mother accepted that about you a long time ago even though she knew that one day your search for the truth might take you away from her. And it's always been important to her for you to find someone who could accept you and love you for yourself, but she never really considered what it would mean if you did find that someone."

Michael was sure he was going to implode from waiting for his grandfather to finish his thought. There were times when River Dog could be infuriatingly slow in making his point during a conversation, but nothing could rush the old man when he had something to say and he had already decided how he was going to say it.

"My point is that despite your mother wanting you to find someone who loves you for who you are and who is strong enough to stand up to you when the time calls for it, I don't think Catherine ever once considered that the woman who can do those things will in many ways be taking her place in your life. Some mothers have a very hard time letting their children go when that significant other comes into their child's life, and if it isn't handled the right way it can destroy a relationship they've spent years building."

"So, you're sayin' what, that if I keep seein' Maria I'm gonna lose my mom?" Michael was more confused now than he had been before his grandfather arrived. "Because I'm not – "

River Dog tried to reassure his grandson. "I'm not suggesting that you should stop seeing Maria; I think she's been good for you and I believe that she's going to be a very important part of your life. What I'm trying to tell you is that your mother is threatened by your relationship with Maria; the relationship has progressed very fast and for the first time in twelve years you're not consulting Catherine before making decisions. Obviously you don't go to her about everything, but suddenly you're involved with this young woman and your mother knows you're happy, but at the same time she's trying to balance that against things like Maria encouraging you to find your biological family, or the very real possibility that you're heading towards a sexual relationship."

Michael leaned back against the large boulder and crossed his arms over his chest as he contemplated what his grandfather was saying.

"Catherine's scared for you, Michael, and unfortunately that fear is manifesting itself as anger and it's coming across as an attack on Maria."

Michael frowned, unhappy with what River Dog was saying. _Women could be so damn complicated. They complicated things on purpose, he was sure of that. _"So what am I supposed to do? Because I'm not gonna just stand there an' take it when she starts sayin' stuff about Maria." He quickly started to get agitated again. "She hasn't done anything to deserve bein' treated like that and I'm not – "

"Michael, take it easy," River Dog soothed. "She's afraid of losing you, afraid that you're only gonna get hurt and end up disappointed if you continue to pursue your search, especially now that you're with someone who's actively encouraging you to do so. How you choose to deal with what I've told you tonight is up to you; I just want you to understand why your mother has been acting the way she's been acting."

The younger man relaxed slightly. Even though what River Dog had said made sense, it wasn't helping him very much at the moment. _To be stuck between the girl he cared about and his mother… what was a guy supposed to do?_ He looked at his grandfather, hoping that he had the answer to his problem. "How do I deal with her? This is the first time in my entire life that I've been in this kinda position and I don't know what to say to her. It feels like we're constantly at odds, like every single time one of us says somethin' it's gonna end up in a fight. I feel like I can't say or do a damn thing right."

River Dog sighed. It was a delicate situation considering the tempers of everyone involved. Heated words could hurt for a very long time and he was afraid that Catherine and Michael were going to continue to argue and say things that would only be regretted later. It wouldn't be the first time he had seen people he cared about lose a special relationship because they couldn't come to an understanding. He wasn't sure he could watch that happen again. "You have to do what you believe is right, Michael."

_Ha, right, and how was he supposed to do that? By bowing down to his mother's feelings and decisions? Not gonna happen! _"How do I talk to her without it turnin' into a fight? How do I make her understand that havin' Maria's encouragement is somethin' I need? I'm not stupid, River Dog, I know why Mom an' Dad have never encouraged me to look for the answers to all the questions that I've got, but I need those answers." He slapped his hand against the rock in frustration. "I know it's dangerous and so does Maria, but she understands that I'm never gonna be able to rest until I know why I was abandoned in the desert."

"Be honest with her and try to control your temper." River Dog shook his head. "You're not gonna get anywhere by yelling at each other, slammin' doors and locking yourself in your bedroom, or hidin' in the desert. Avoiding your mother isn't gonna make it any easier to deal with her; that's only gonna put more distance between you and make her feel like her assessment of the situation is right."

Michael considered his grandfather's advice and nodded when the old man fell silent. "Mom called you when I didn't come home for dinner?"

"She's worried about you, Michael; she's your mother and no matter how old you get or how far away you are she's always gonna worry about you."

"So, basically what you're tellin' me is that I can't do anything to make her accept my relationship with Maria; that's somethin' she'll either do or not do on her own terms. All I can do is control the way that I respond to her." He sighed and leaned back against the boulder, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the stars overhead once more. _Why did life have to be so damn complicated?_ he wondered.

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Liz reached in through the pickup window and turned on the radio that Jose, the day shift cook, always listened to. She changed it over to a station that played the type of music she and Maria listened to and turned the volume up. How many times had they closed up for the night, going about their duties while talking or singing, dancing to the music without giving much thought to their aching feet and backs? The uncomfortable silence that stretched between them now was worlds apart from all those nights they had spent working together, laughing about some of their stranger tourist customers, singing with the radio, or comparing notes about recent dates.

She gathered all of the sugar containers together, lining them up on the counter so she could begin filling them, but her gaze strayed back over to Maria. For several minutes Liz watched her placing the chairs up on the tables so she could sweep the floor, and she thought back to what she had said to Max. _Could she let Maria go?_ It had sounded like the right thing to do when she had said it, but now, standing here in the Crashdown where they had spent so much time together, she wasn't sure she could do it.

As little girls they had played in the café, talking to the customers, and helping out whenever her dad would let them so it had been a natural progression for him to hire them when they had gotten old enough to work. She finished filling the sugar containers and moved them all together at the end of the counter before moving on to the salt and pepper shakers. Her gaze was drawn once again to Maria and her mind wandered back to the first time they had been allowed to close by themselves.

"_I can't believe my dad finally let us do this by ourselves." Liz had been elated at the opportunity to show her parents that they could handle the responsibility and Maria had gone along with her because she had known how important it was to her best friend._

"_Yes, it's a cause for celebration." Maria had grinned to take the sting out of the words and motioned towards the pickup window. "Get Jose's radio and turn it on; we need music," she had declared while wiping one of the tables down._

_Liz had rolled her eyes at Maria's less than enthusiastic tone as she reached in through the window to tune the radio to an acceptable station before turning it up. She found the right station and turned it up loud before leaning back to shout, "How's that?"_

"_Perfect!" Maria shouted back._

_They had quickly fallen into a familiar rhythm, working in companionable silence, their voices blending together as they sang along with the radio, and the legs of the chairs dragging across the floor as they pulled them out to be lifted up and placed on the tables the only sounds in the café. _

"_Hey, Maria, what d'you think of Kyle?" _

"_Kyle who?"_

"_Valenti."_

_Maria had stopped dancing around with the broom when she had sensed that Liz wasn't joking. "I hope you're asking what I think about him in an abstract way and not in any other possible way."_

"_Well, I heard that he was thinking about asking me out and I was just wondering what you think about him."_

"_I think he's an ass and you could do much better." She giggled. "Besides, think of the coronary you'd give poor Alex if you went out with Kyle Valenti."_

"_That's true." Liz laughed. "He is one of Alex's biggest antagonists, isn't he? I don't know though, Maria, he doesn't really seem to be all that bad when he's not around the rest of the jocks."_

"_Right, but do you really wanna waste your time with someone who has to act differently when he's out with his friends? I guess if you've just gotta go out with him you can, but I wouldn't let it develop into anything serious. Just wait for someone who's worth your time, and for God's sake, Liz, if you decide to go out with Kyle, don't have sex with him."_

_Liz had laughed out loud at that and shook her head. "There's no need to worry about that, Maria… seriously!" _

"_Okay, no more talk about that." Maria shuddered dramatically. She had been just about to say something else but one of her favorite songs had come on the radio and they had started singing and dancing, laughing as they finished cleaning up._

Liz sighed as reality once more intruded and she walked into the storeroom to get what she needed to fill the shakers.

Maria never looked up from the floor she was sweeping when Liz disappeared into the back of the café, her own thoughts creeping into the past. It had been a while since she and Liz had closed together and while they had certainly had their disagreements in the past, they had never reached a point where they just couldn't talk to each other. When they had been little girls they had never once thought that anything could come between them and the thought of being separated from each other had been too horrible to even contemplate. She could remember running into the café on the first day of their summer break, free from the confines of school for three whole months, and ready to start playing and enjoying the freedom. She had been distressed when Nancy, Liz's mother, had shaken her head and stated that Liz couldn't come out to play.

"_How come Liz can't come out to play?" _

"_She has the chicken pox, sweetie," Nancy had answered patiently. "She's very contagious right now and…" She had fallen silent and knelt down in front of her daughter's best friend. "Do you know what contagious means?"_

_Maria shook her head. "Is it bad?"_

"_No. It just means that if someone who hasn't already had chicken pox gets around her they'll catch it too. So, the two of you can't play together until she's all better." She stood and patted the little girl's head. "You won't be separated for too long."_

_Maria's eyes had widened in fear; she didn't know a lot of big words but she knew what separated meant. Her mom and dad had separated and her dad had left and never come back. Being separated was bad and after it happened to her parents her dad had forgotten all about her, he hadn't even remembered her birthday or Christmas!_

"_But, I already done had them chicken… things," she said, making a grab for Nancy's apron before she could move away._

_Nancy shook her head and smiled. "Sweetie, I don't remember you having them – "_

"_No, I did! It was…" Maria frantically scrambled for an answer and it suddenly came to her. "I had 'em 'fore Daddy left." She hardly ever spoke of her dad because people always looked sad and she couldn't figure out why. All she knew was that when they looked like that it made her feel like they knew something she didn't._

_Nancy's expression had softened and she had waved at the staircase, giving her permission before hurrying back out into the busy café to give her husband a hand._

_It had been a lie of course, telling Nancy that she'd already had the chicken pox, and less than forty-eight hours later she had come down with the childhood illness. She hadn't cared though; they had been together and at seven years old nothing had been more important to them. They had spent the week hanging out together in Liz's bedroom, playing dolls, countless board games, watching TV, and making prank phone calls when they got bored with everything else._

_The third day had been the worst for Maria; she had alternated between running a fever and experiencing cold chills, and her muscles had been achy and sore. She lay there feeling miserable, wanting to cry just because she felt so awful and trying so hard not to. Liz had been asleep beside her and she hadn't wanted to wake her up. She really missed the way her dad had held her when she was sick, knowing that he would make everything all better, and along with those thoughts came the tears that she had been doing her best to force back._

"_Maria?" Liz's quiet voice had sounded sleepy. "Are you cryin'?"_

_Maria had sniffled and wiped her eyes with a corner of the blanket. "Why d'you think my dad left, Lizzie?"_

_Liz had just shifted, hugging her friend tightly because they both knew she didn't have the answer. "I won't never leave you, Maria," she promised, her tone fierce. "Me an' you, we're gonna be best friends forever and ever."_

"_Promise?"_

"_Cross my heart."_

_Cross my heart, cross my heart, cross my heart…_

The words echoed in Maria's mind as her thoughts snapped back to the present. She tried to block out the remembered feelings of safety and security that the promise had given to her, the words enveloping her with as much warmth and love as Liz's embrace. As little girls they had been so certain that a simple promise and a declaration of friendship were all they needed to keep them safe and protected.


	49. Chapter 49a

**Part 49a**

Her gaze slid over to Liz and she watched her as she finished filling the salt and pepper shakers. How many times had they completed this exact same routine? Their actions so familiar and well rehearsed that they could've done it with their eyes closed and never missed a beat. Unbidden, she felt the hurt, anger, and frustration rise to the surface once more and she couldn't contain it any longer. She leaned the broom against the booth behind her and she turned back to look at Liz, the words tumbling from her lips before she had time to think about what she was saying.

"Tell me why, Liz. Tell me why you started lying to me, why you expect me, your oldest friend, to suddenly be incapable of seeing through your lies, and why you think I'd just swallow them and act as if nothing's wrong. When did I become someone you could lie to? Don't I deserve the truth?"

She shook her head at the other girl's silence and continued with her rant. "I know you've got a secret, that whatever it is, it started back in September and it involves Max and Isabel Evans. This is it, Liz, this is your last chance to set things right, to stop lying to me, and to finally tell me what's going on. Do you think I can't see that all this lying is making you unhappy? What do they have you so involved in that you can't get out of it? And why do you stay involved with them and whatever the big secret is if it's causing you so much pain?"

Liz bit her bottom lip as Maria's words hit home; she was so close to telling her the truth. In her head and her heart, she knew Maria could be trusted with the secret and she wanted so badly to tell her everything, but Isabel's face and her cold words provided a harsh reminder and brought her back to reality. If she told Maria without their permission, she had no doubt that Isabel would follow through with her threat, she would run away where no one would find her, breaking up her family and destroying her parents and her brother.

She was also afraid of what Isabel could do to her and Alex; she knew first-hand that Isabel was capable of going into their dreams and turning them into nightmares without their knowledge. What about Maria? Isabel seemed to have a serious problem with Maria; Liz was sure it was only because she didn't know Maria the way they did, she didn't believe that under Maria's quirky and eccentric personality beat the heart of the most solid, trustworthy, and reliable person that Liz had ever known. She didn't know Isabel that well, but she had made no secret of the fact that she was capable of messing with their heads and she could do worse to anyone who threatened them or their secret.

Maria shook her head when Liz remained silent and she felt the doubts began to creep in despite her best intentions to keep them out. "My God," she whispered hoarsely, "could Michael be right? I didn't listen to him when he said you guys could be involved in drugs or alcohol, but there are just so many lies surrounding the four of you."

The mention of _his _name set her nerve endings on edge and Liz's head jerked up. She didn't want to put Maria on the defensive, so she tried to put her thoughts in order before she spoke. "I want to tell you something, Maria, but I don't want you to be hurt or to get mad about it; the other night when I went over to your house and I met your… boyfriend, I kinda got a strange feeling about him, like maybe he's dangerous and you might get hurt if you – "

"No, no, no, Liz, don't confuse my boyfriend with yours," Maria snapped. "Seems to me that ever since you started hanging out with Max, you're always running around, cutting out on work early to rush off whenever he calls or shows up, you're lying to everyone, not just me but your parents too."

She shook her head in annoyance when she saw the surprised expression on Liz's face. "What, you think I hadn't noticed that you've been feeding your parents a bunch of lies too? So before you go accusing my boyfriend of being dangerous, you'd better take a better look at your own boyfriend. I got a good look at what the guys on the football team did to Alex, and that happened because he's been hanging out with your boyfriend's sister."

Liz nodded slowly. "We're definitely thinking the same thing there," she said timidly.

Maria laughed, the sound holding an edge of bitterness. "We may be thinking the same thing, but we're nowhere close to being on the same wavelength, Liz. This really divides us more than it unites us because no matter how much we may want things to be different, nothing that's been said here tonight changes a damn thing." She swallowed hard, forcing down the tears that she could feel threatening to make an appearance. "Nothing's been resolved; you haven't told me the truth, and if you're honest with yourself, you'll admit that you have no intention of telling me the truth."

"What're you saying, Maria?" Tears were clogging her throat, making Liz's voice thick. Fear was starting to take her over, fear of what Maria was saying and what it meant.

"I'm saying it's time to end this." Maria bit her tongue and swallowed the lump in her throat. "I can't keep going on like this, being lied to as if I'm either too stupid to notice or I'm too insignificant to matter." She shook her head and reached for the broom to carry it to the back. "I'm clocking out and going home; we're finished here."

The words held a finality that caused the breath in Liz's lungs to suddenly solidify and she felt like a block of ice had formed in her chest, preventing her from breathing. She heard the back door that led out to the alleyway close and lock a few minutes later and she hurried to turn the lights out, barely holding herself together for the length of time it took to make it to her bedroom. She locked the door and ran to the window that opened out onto the balcony, shoving it up and nearly falling out in her haste to get outside where she knew her parents wouldn't hear her crying.

She collapsed on the lounger and curled up into a little ball, arms wrapped tightly around her chest as she tried to keep from flying apart into a million little pieces. Maria had done what she herself hadn't been strong enough to do and now she had to deal with the guilt for that as well. It was done, there was no going back, and now she felt like there was no reason to even hope that one day their friendship could be repaired.

Several blocks away, Maria sat at a red light, cursing the tears that were falling faster than she could brush them away. There was nothing she could do to make the pain go away, but the weight on her chest was making it difficult to breathe, and she didn't know what to do to get rid of it.

She made it home before her emotions completely broke free, but her legs failed her as she closed the front door behind her, and she fell back against it, sliding down and crumpling into a huddled ball on the floor. Nothing in her memory had ever caused this much pain; she felt like her internal organs were shattering one by one from the emotional overload and the physical release of crying onto the wood floor wasn't helping, but she just didn't have the strength or the willpower to get up and move to her room.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Isabel paced around her bedroom as she considered what punishment would be equal to the beating the football players had given Alex. The flashes she had gotten when she had reached out to him earlier that day had been unexpected and they had allowed her to not only see what had been done to him, but also to feel his pain. She hadn't been prepared for the way that had made her feel and she had tried to block it out, but the anger that had exploded within her kept coming back no matter how hard she tried to push it aside.

She forced her emotions back under control when she realized that her anger was causing what could only be called a tornado right there in her bedroom. Her things were flying around her, creating a whirlwind of activity that she would be unable to explain to her parents if either of them came in at that moment. As her emotions leveled out things began to settle back into their original places and she finally stopped pacing and just stood at the center of her room, her thoughtful gaze shifting from object to object.

"Anyone would react this way," she muttered to herself. "The only reason they don't is because they don't have the abilities that I have." She nodded, relieved that she had come to an understanding of her reaction. She was only concerned because someone that was completely innocent had been physically attacked by a group of guys and his only crime was being seen in public with her.

Her gaze paused when it passed over her yearbook and as a plan began to come together she smiled to herself. _The ability to take a walk into the subconscious of others came in quite handy at times_, she thought as she picked the book up. She flipped through the pages as she searched for one specific picture, chuckling when she found it. All three of Alex's attackers had posed for the photograph, their stances and expressions showing off their macho attitudes, and she smirked as the plan suddenly solidified in her mind. "And it's gonna be so much easier to get into your dreams at the same time this way."

She rarely attempted a dreamwalk with multiple subjects in a single dream, but this was for a good cause and they deserved the punishment she had in mind. She settled back on her bed and got comfortable on her side before laying the book beside her, open to the photograph of the three boys. "So macho aren't you, boys? Let's see how you look at each other after tonight."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Alex hated gym class with a passion, but he hadn't found a believable excuse to prove to his counselor that it was an unnecessary waste of his time. He had the misfortune of being in the same gym class with several of the football players, including the three who had attempted to displace several of his internal organs. Twice a week, he was expected to come to class and participate in activities that made no sense whatsoever to him.

They were going to be graded on their ability to climb a rope during today's class. How was climbing a rope going to help him in any future endeavors? He had no intention of doing anything that required that particular ability, but for whatever reason, the school felt that it was useful. He sighed and sat down in the bleachers, choosing a seat that was well away from the area where the jocks always sat.

He stared balefully at the rope hanging from the ceiling at the center of the gymnasium and shook his head. He wondered who had come up with the idea that classes like this were good for students' self-esteem and helped them to build strong character. As far as he was concerned, the humiliating tasks they were given combined with the constant insults and derogatory comments made by those students who were more physically able to do the assigned tasks, wasn't doing anything for his character or self-esteem. He would have been quite happy to immerse himself in just about any other class, just as long as it didn't involve rope climbing, running, or pushups.

He looked up when the teacher started talking, surprised to see that his antagonists had joined the class without their usual obnoxious behavior. For the next hour, he observed them, wondering why they were acting so out of character. He had already prepared himself for the expected insults and jokes when he basically failed the rope climbing task and when they didn't say a word, he just stared at them.

"What's up with them?"

Alex turned his head to look at the guy who had spoken, recognizing him as another one of the jocks' usual targets. "I don't know." He shrugged. "They are actin' kinda odd though." The three football players sat on the other side of the gym, but instead of being grouped together like they normally were, they were sitting far apart from each other.

"Yeah, I don't think I've heard a single rude remark out of any of 'em. And when did they start ignorin' each other?"

Alex knew the answer to that question but he didn't voice it. He had seen the guys in the hall the day before but he had ducked into an empty classroom to avoid running into them at the last second. They had been together, loudly congratulating each other for some prank they had played on some of the kids in the chess club. He wondered if it was just coincidence that Isabel had been angry the day before when she had seen what they had done to him, and now today, the guys were acting odd.

His expression quickly changed to surprise when someone brushed up against Brad, the captain of the football team, as they filed out of the gym and the guy nearly jumped out of his skin. He shuffled backwards to avoid anyone else and bumped into Patrick, who hurried to jump out of the way. Ken was the last in line and when Patrick touched him as he tried to avoid any more contact with Brad, Ken shoved the other guy away from him.

Alex wondered what was going on with them; for three guys who were constantly in each other's space they were acting strange. They had been hanging out together since they had made the football team in junior high, which meant that something big had happened for them to suddenly be acting so uncomfortable around each other. He wasn't sure if he wanted to ask Isabel about it or not, but if the guys were still acting the same way at the end of the day he might just have to consider it.


	50. Chapter 49b

**Part 49b**

Michael snatched his towel off of the hook on his closet and opened the door to the bathroom that he shared with Maggie. For the past two days he had been taking cold showers because his sister and their cousins who were staying with them for the week used up every bit of hot water in the house before he had the opportunity to call the shower. He hadn't gotten the shower first one single time since Summer and Sierra had arrived and he was fed up with all three girls and all of the stuff that he kept tripping over.

He looked around at the counter and noted the obvious lack of space; every available surface had been filled with… stuff. It was everywhere. He frowned when he realized that while there was lots of stuff on the counter, none of it belonged to him. He turned to hang his towel on one of the hooks on the back of his door, but they were all occupied. _Just like the ones on Maggie's side_, he noted with an irritated growl. He pushed the shower curtain aside, resigned to hanging the towel over the shower rod, but as he reached up to do just that he noticed that the corner shelves were practically bursting with more stuff.

"Just none of my stuff," he muttered caustically.

"Somethin' wrong, Son?" John just barely contained the laugh that wanted to escape when Michael turned to look at him. He had heard his son moving around and grumbling in a low voice, and it hadn't taken more than a moment to realize why. It only took a quick glance around to see that he had been evicted from his own bathroom; the girls had taken over every square inch of space and from the looks of it there hadn't been room left for any of his things.

"No, Dad, there's nothin' wrong." He waved a hand around the room, the gesture wild and uncoordinated. "Not as long as I don't mind smellin' like coconut-almond, some sort of lavender-vanilla crap, or watermelon-somethin'-or-other. Why do girls gotta have so much crap? And why can't they all use the same damn thing? I'm sharin' my bathroom with three girls and they all use different… stuff! There's three of everything in here and not one single thing is in here twice! All of my stuff fits on the single corner that Maggie was kind enough to leave open for me when she went and turned into a… a… a _girl_, and now I don't even have that!"

"Why don't you go ask your sister where they stuck your stuff and you can use the shower in my bathroom for the rest of their stay."

Michael nodded. "They're usin' up all the hot water too," he complained.

John chuckled after Michael left the room, shaking his head when he heard the younger man shouting for his sister to give him his things. As soon as Maggie had discovered boys and makeup, or _become a girl_, as Michael so eloquently put it, he had quickly lost all rights to equal space and time in the bathroom. He had eventually gotten over that, but John knew that Michael wasn't going to have any rights at all to the bathroom while there were three teenage girls in the same house.

After dinner Michael barricaded himself in his bedroom, unwilling to hear one more thing that involved makeup, guys, romantic movies, or which actor was currently the hottest – a topic that had started a rather heated debate over dinner. He was fairly certain that they'd had the exact same conversation the night before. He shook his head as he sat down in front of his computer, pulling up his photography folder and quickly losing himself in his work.

His mind drifted to Maria while he was going through the pictures he had taken out in the desert, and he could easily see her in many of them. He wondered if she had given any serious consideration to his request that she pose for him. He stood and walked over to the bookshelf that sat in one of the corners and pulled his portfolio down, carrying it back over to his desk. He moved his keyboard out of the way and placed the book down on the cleared surface, opening it up and studying some of his favorite shots.

He leaned in closer to the portfolio, elbow braced on his knee and his chin resting in his hand as he stared at the way the sunlight played over the canyon in the photograph. In his mind's eye he could see the layout for the scene he wanted to create for Maria; the cliffs above the canyon on the west side were a perfect place to shoot the photos he had in mind. He was sure she would be willing to go along with the costumes he wanted to use for the photographs; she had an adventurous spirit and he had a feeling she would be able to appreciate what he had in mind.

He turned his head to the side when someone knocked on his door and he considered ignoring it when his sister called him.

"Go ahead and ignore me, Michael; I'll just tell Maria you're – "

Maggie jumped back when the door was jerked open, nearly knocking Summer and Sierra over in her haste to move. Michael stared at the three girls, mouth open to snarl some insult or other, but at the last second he simply snatched the phone out of Maggie's hand, stepped back into his room, and slammed the door. He slapped the lock into place and crossed the room to lock the bathroom door as well before sitting back down and putting the phone up to his ear.

"Hey."

"It sounds like you're outnumbered," Maria said, laughing quietly.

Michael relaxed at the sound of her voice and he smiled as he looked down at the photos lying on his desk, imagining her in the panoramic scene. "Outnumbered and quite possibly outgunned," he muttered. "I can't do anything or go anywhere without them bein' right there; they haven't even been here a full forty-eight hours yet and they've taken over everything."

"You're hiding in your room, aren't you?"

"It's the only safe place in the house. And, since I don't really wanna talk about them why don't we talk about somethin' else," he suggested. "Did you find out if your mom was out on a date this weekend? That why she wasn't answerin' your calls?"

"No, she's gone to an institute where she can meditate and contemplate whatever's had her so distracted lately. She should be back either this weekend or early next week."

"That's gotta be nice," Michael said, thinking of the lack of silence or privacy in his own house.

"Yes and no. It might've been nice to have her here last night; comin' home to an empty house was a little lonely."

He sat up straighter, frowning when her tone altered just enough for him to notice. "Did somethin' happen at work last night?"

Maria sighed as she thought back to the night before. She walked into the kitchen and looked through the cupboards, debating about what she was going to fix for dinner as she responded to his concerned question. "I um, I got into it with Liz again and I told her things were over between us."

"Oh, wow." _What was he supposed to say to that?_ he wondered, searching his brain for a proper response. "Um, is there anything…"

"I don't think there's really anything anyone can do, but thanks for the offer," she said, appreciating the gesture. "She won't tell me the truth about what's going on with her or her new friends and it's only causing more problems between us, and I'm tired of being lied to."

"Well, I'm not gonna tell you that it's her loss because I know she means a lot to you, so obviously you're losin' out too. But, maybe it's better this way, Maria."

"You think so?" She really just needed someone to tell her that she had made the right choice.

Michael shifted the phone and swore quietly. _This sucked_, he thought. _He couldn't express himself this way, and Maria needed him to comfort her. This_ _would be a lot easier if he were right there with her; he wasn't a talker and he sucked when it came to verbalizing stuff like this. If she were there with him he could've taken her in his arms and he could've sent her silent healing vibes that he was sure she would pick up on. _

But, she wasn't there, she was on the phone and she was waiting for an answer, for reassurance that she had done the right thing. He was going to do his best to try to ease her pain, even if his little comfort speech wasn't going to be that good. _Okay, you can do this. It's probably gonna suck, but you can do this. _He took a deep breath and prepared himself, hoping it would be enough.

"If she was gonna keep lyin' an' hidin' things from you you're probably a lot better off this way. She's been your best friend your whole life, and if there's a reasonable explanation for why she's been actin' that way I don't know what it is, but you're the one who's been sufferin' because of it. Personally, I'm glad you ended things with her, but I know you're the one who has to deal with it now, and knowin' you I'm pretty sure it's gonna take time to do that. So, I'm here, y'know, if you need to talk or anything."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Max shuffled along the sidewalk, his shoulders hunched against the cold wind that was blowing. He paused when he reached his destination, staying back out of sight as he looked in through the plate-glass window of the Crashdown Café. For the past couple of days Liz had been distracted, distant, and she had been avoiding him, but that was going to end today.

He watched Liz moving around, taking and delivering orders, smiling and making small talk, but her cheerful demeanor was forced and her smile lacked any real warmth. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he knew it probably had something to do with Maria. His gaze wandered over to the other girl and he briefly thought that she seemed to be missing some vital part of her usually upbeat personality.

He didn't know Maria personally but he knew she was important to Liz so whatever had happened between them must have been big. They were working together but it was easy to see that there was no personal interaction between them; they were like two strangers and he could tell that things had moved from strained to the girls actually being estranged.

He pushed the door open and made his way to the booth at the back, shrugging out of his backpack and jacket and tossing them on the bench before sliding in after them. He frowned when Liz came by and placed a glass of his preferred soda on the table in front of him but hurried away, claiming that she was busy. He had never worked in a restaurant before but even he could see that the usual dinner rush was nearly over and most of the patrons who were still there were conversing over coffee or dessert.

After several attempts to talk to her Max finally accepted that Liz was going to ignore him, but that was fine because he could wait her out. He pulled his textbook out and started working on his homework, hoping to lose himself in the complexities of Calculus until the time for her break rolled around.

At nine-fifteen Liz glanced at the booth in the back and knew she couldn't avoid him any longer. Max hadn't tried to talk to her again and he had been sitting in the café for three hours so she knew he wasn't going to leave until they had talked. He was stubborn in his own quiet way and once he had set his mind to something he didn't let up until he had seen it through.

Max looked up when a shadow fell across his notebook and he smiled when he saw Liz standing there. He motioned to the seat across from him and was relieved when she slid into the booth and reached for the hand he held out to her.

"You've been avoiding me," he chastised gently.

"I know." Liz could feel all of her carefully constructed barriers threatening to crumble at his words and she swallowed hard in an attempt to control her emotions. "I'm sorry; I've just had some things going on…"

Max could feel her emotions so close to the surface and he cast a quick glance over at the blonde behind the counter. "You let 'er go," he guessed.

"No." Liz shook her head and reached up to wipe away a couple of tears when she blinked and they spilled over. "No, she let me go," she choked out.

"C'mon, let's get outta here for a few minutes." He stood and pulled her up with him, grabbing his jacket before leading her outside. The cold wind nipped at their exposed flesh and he hurried to drape his jacket around her shoulders. He led the way to the end of the building and stepped around the side to avoid the worst of the wind before wrapping his arms around her and leaning back against the wall. "I'm so sorry, Liz."

"I thought it would be better for all of us if I let her go, if I stepped back and she wasn't constantly in a position where we had to lie to her and hide things from her." She drew in a shaky breath and tightened her arms where they were wrapped around his waist. "But, I couldn't do it; I even thought about it before she said anything and I realized I wasn't gonna be able to do it." She sighed raggedly. "I never expected her to be the one to put an end to our friendship."

"And you think because she's the one who did it you're not gonna be able to fix things."

"The fact that she ended things…" She shook her head. "I should've been the one to take that step and I couldn't do it; I put her in the position where she didn't really have any choice but to end things and now… Things are never gonna be the same again, Max."

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

Liz smiled at the sincerity in his voice. "Can you make me forget about this?" she asked, wishing he could. "Even if it's only for a little while?"

"Are you working Saturday?" he asked without missing a beat.

"No, I'm not scheduled to work." She glanced down when the alarm sounded on her watch, letting her know her break was over.

He lowered his head to look deep into her anguished eyes and he vowed to take her mind off of the painful subject for a few hours. He framed her face in his hands and leaned in to kiss her gently. "Don't make any plans for Saturday, okay?"


	51. Chapter 50

**Author's Note: **_The Lost Child_ will be going on hiatus for just a few weeks while we post our Christmas fic: _Michael, Maria, Carradine and Christmas, _which will begin posting on December 17th. _The Lost Child_ will return once posting of the Christmas fic is complete.

**Part 50**

On Thursday evening Michael turned Sundance loose in the corral and carried the saddle and the rest of his gear into the barn to put it away. He had gone for a ride after school to find some peace and quiet because he had known that he didn't have long before his three tormentors would be arriving. His cousins were staying until the next afternoon so his anticipated freedom had been put on hold for another twenty-four hours.

He shrugged out of his jacket once he entered the house and hung it up before heading into the kitchen for a snack. After fixing a sandwich and grabbing a bottle of water he walked through the suspiciously quiet house to his bedroom, glancing around for the girls. He frowned when he pushed the door to his room open and stepped inside, and his attention was quickly drawn to the open bathroom door. He set his snack down on his desk and crossed the room, turning his head to one side in an effort to hear the whispers that became more pronounced the closer he got to Maggie's door.

"How'd you manage to keep the bear from finding out about him?"

Maggie winked at her cousins and her two best friends. She had heard Michael come in the house and she knew he was standing in the bathroom, listening to their conversation. "Are you kidding? He's been so preoccupied with Maria that he hasn't had time to make threats against potential dates and now it's too late because the dance is tomorrow night." She smirked, knowing his blood was probably boiling at the thought that she had gotten over on him and had a date with someone he didn't approve of. "Besides, even if he knew about my date, what's he gonna do about it this late in the game?"

Michael mentally kicked himself. _How had he forgotten that the stupid dance was tomorrow night?_ He pushed the door open and glared at all five girls when they turned their heads to look at him. They were sitting in a circle on the floor as if they were there to discuss something of great importance and there were a stack of clothing magazines scattered between them, open to various pages.

"Can I help you, Michael?" Maggie asked sweetly.

"Who're you goin' to the dance with?"

"Why? So you can _persuade _him to find another date? I'm not telling you whose invitation I accepted." She rolled her eyes as she turned back to the others. "Why don't you just accept that I'm not going with anyone who happens to be on your list of," she held her hands up, two fingers on each hand folded over to make air quotes, "guys that your little sister isn't allowed to date. Why don't we just leave it like that?"

"That doesn't leave many options." His tone was speculative as he considered the few guys at school who weren't on his list and he finally nodded. "So, you decided on one of the geeks in the chess club or one of the nerds in the comic club."

"Yes, Michael," Maggie agreed complacently, forcing her voice to remain calm. "He's a chess player."

"Which one?"

"Does it matter? You've threatened every guy that I might possibly be interested in and you should be satisfied that he was among them because he was rather hesitant about asking me out."

"Uh-huh." He didn't sound convinced. "And he'll be comin' here to pick you up?"

"He'll be here at six."

Summer watched them interact and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to avoid smiling at Michael's expression. He was obviously trying to figure out which one of the guys in the chess club had dared to ask his sister to the dance despite his reputation.

"So, Michael, did you ask Maria to the dance?" Christina asked, leaning back on her elbows and looking up at him innocently.

He hadn't been expecting that question. "What?"

"Well, it occurs to me that you've put a lot of effort into making sure that Maggie doesn't go to the dance with someone you don't approve of when you could've avoided a lot of that work if you were gonna be there yourself."

"That's true," Summer mused, going along with Christina. "Which means you aren't planning to attend the dance yourself; there a reason you didn't ask Maria to the dance?"

"That's none of your business," he snapped.

"He sounds defensive," Linda added helpfully. "She must've had other plans."

Michael shook his head. "What? No, she didn't have other plans."

"So, she just didn't wanna go to the dance with you," Sierra guessed.

"What?" Michael straightened up and glared at them. "Who said anything about her turnin' me down? If I had asked her to go to the damned dance you can bet she would've said yes; the fact is that I didn't ask her – "

"And why is that?" Maggie asked, leaning back on her elbows and looking up at her brother. His jaw was clenched as he stared at them, doing his best not to look like he had been cornered by a bunch of girls. "Michael?"

"I'm goin' to my room," he snarled. "I've got homework and I don't wanna be disturbed. Do you understand that?" He stalked out of the room and slammed both bathroom doors on his way.

It was hard to ignore the sound of feminine laughter that followed him, but he made the effort as he slammed the bathroom door on his side. "Why didn't I ask Maria to the dance," he muttered as he threw himself down on his bed. "Because I can't dance, I don't like dancin', and chances are good that I'll never like it." He shook his head and scrubbed his hands through his hair. _Why did they have to be so damned nosy? What did it matter anyway? He wasn't dating any of them, and he had already told Maria that he didn't dance. She was the one who had to deal with it. _He didn't know why he was wasting his time thinking about this; it wasn't like it was something that he was going to change his mind about. _There was nothing to think about, and besides that, he was hungry. _He snorted and shook his head as he rolled off of the bed and got to his feet, going over to his desk and dropping down into his chair.

Grabbing the sandwich that he had made earlier, he bit into it and reached over to place his free hand on the mouse that sat on the right side of his keyboard. He opened up the Internet and clicked on the tab where his favorite sites were listed and he selected the first one on the list. He opened up the drawer on his right side and pulled out a stack of notebooks, placing them on his left side and opening up the one on top. He flipped through it until he found the last entry and folded the cover over before putting it back on top of the stack. For the past couple of years he had been compiling information gathered from different sites, tracking the reliability of their claims, and updating his notes every few days. But, he hadn't checked his list of sites in several days because the house had been overrun by a bunch of noisy girls whose sole purpose in life was obviously to drive him insane with their constant chatter.

He looked up a while later when someone knocked on his open door. "Hey, what's up, Dad?" He waved his right hand at his father, motioning for him to come in.

"Thought I'd come get you for dinner before the dining room gets mobbed by the girls." He sat on the wooden trunk at the foot of Michael's bed and tipped his head to one side to look at the monitor to see what his son was searching for. It only took a few moments of scanning the screen to know what he was looking at. "Find anything new?"

"No, but I haven't really been lookin' very long thanks to that noisy bunch next door."

"Well, why don't you go help Mom and set the table while I wash up." He patted his son's shoulder as he stood up. "You'll probably be able to concentrate better on a full stomach and chances are good that the girls will settle down in the den with a movie after they've eaten."

Michael wandered through the house and into the kitchen a few minutes later to do as his father had suggested. He walked slowly, putting off the inevitable as long as possible; things had been strained between him and his mother since their argument the week before and they were still trying to find a way to be comfortable around each other in the aftermath. He paused at the kitchen doorway, taking a deep breath before stepping over the threshold and clearing his throat to get her attention.

Catherine looked up from the roast she was getting ready to take out of the oven and turned to face her son when he cleared his throat. "Michael… dinner's still a few minutes away from being ready."

"I thought I'd come see if you needed help with anything." He shrugged. "Y'know, settin' the table, or whatever."

"Sure, why don't you set the table," she suggested.

"Okay." He walked over to the island in the center of the kitchen to pick up the stack of dinner plates and silverware but paused when he noticed how many there were. "Linda an' Christina are stayin' for dinner?"

"Yes, the girls are making last-minute adjustments to their dresses for tomorrow night."

Michael grunted and reached for the plates. Having dinner with his sister and two cousins was bad enough, but to add his sister's two best friends into the mix was just unfair. The conversation was going to be mind numbing and he was going to be stuck sitting between five teenage girls who had nothing better to discuss than makeup, guys, and their dresses for the dance.

"Hey, Mom, what d'you want me to put in everybody's glasses?"

"Water or juice for you kids, I'll have water, and your father will have coffee."

"Meanin' I've gotta go ask the girls what they want to drink?" _He wasn't whining… he wasn't._ "Can't they just have water?"

"Michael, go ask those girls what they want to drink."

"Go ask them what they want to drink," he muttered under his breath. "Like I'm a friggin' waiter or somethin'."

Catherine smiled when he stalked out of the room, grumbling; it was familiar and for the first time in nearly a week things felt normal. She finished putting the serving dishes on the table and was in the process of pulling a pan of cornbread out of the oven when he came back, still fussing about catering to the girls. "Did you tell them dinner's ready?" she asked when he passed her to get to the refrigerator.

"What, you didn't hear the herd stampeding through the hall?" He rolled his eyes. "You should've just had me set a couple of troughs out for 'em." He grabbed the pitchers of water and juice and carried them into the dining room where the girls were taking their places around the table.

"Have you ever considered a career in the field of food service?" Summer asked after he had filled their glasses.

"You do serve very well," Christina said in a knowledgeable tone. "Although you'd definitely have to do something about your attitude." She shook her head. "You'd never get any tips unless you were a little more pleasant."

"This is as pleasant as it's gonna get," he growled before taking the pitchers back to the kitchen. "You want me to get anything else, Mom?"

"Take the cornbread and you kids start serving yourselves while I go get your father."

"Okay, I've got it." He slid the spatula beneath the largest square of cornbread in the baking pan before carrying it out to the dining room and paused to slide it onto his plate before placing the pan on the table. "Dig in." He took his seat between his cousins, frowning when he rested his forearms on the table and realized how cramped he was. He turned his head from one side to the other, doing a quick visual measurement of the space available on either side of the girls before he turned to Summer and hooked his boot on the bottom rung of her chair and pushed it all the way to the end of the table. While she was busy fussing about him moving her chair, he turned and did the same to Sierra. With more space now available to him, Michael set about filling his plate and ignored the noise they were making.

"Well, I see dinner's gotten off to the right start," John commented as he took his seat at the head of the table.

"Yeah, Maggie was just sayin' that her date'll be here to pick her up at six tomorrow night," Michael said, quickly turning the conversation away from anything related to him.

John sat up a little straighter in his chair. "Really?" He ignored the food as it was passed around the table in favor of staring at his daughter. "So, someone finally asked you?"

"Dad!" She was mortified at his implication that her date was a last minute thing. "He asked me weeks ago but I couldn't very well let Michael ruin it by threatening him." She shot a glance at her brother and rolled her eyes when she saw his smug expression. "The last thing I need is for Michael to scare my chess-playing date off before the dance."

"Oh," John said slowly. "So, he's in the chess club." He looked over at his son and nodded in approval. "I'm guessin' this kid must've met all of your requirements if he actually managed to get his foot in the door to ask your sister out."

"The guys in the chess club are okay." Michael shrugged one shoulder and helped himself to the roast. "They're all a little on the odd side, but they're harmless."

John nodded and reached for the roast when Summer finished serving herself and passed it to him. "Well, that's good. So, the five of you are leaving from here tomorrow night?"

"We're all gonna get ready here, Dad."

"Yeah, you don't mind if our dates pick us up here, do you, Uncle John?" Sierra asked.

He paused to consider her question. "Nope, not at all." He placed the carving knife on the platter beside the roast and motioned to all of them with his right hand. "So, you've all got dates comin' here to pick you up?"

"Well, I don't," Linda admitted after an uncomfortable silence. "I thought I did, but it didn't work out." She gave a small shrug and smiled. "I'm gonna go anyway though."

Michael looked up from his plate, surprised by her statements, but his expression remained neutral when he spoke. "I thought you were seein' what's-his-name, the other mascot?"

"So did I." Linda leaned back in her chair and took a bite of the celery stick she was holding. "We went out several times and I thought we had a good time, and I heard that he had picked up a tux and had already decided who he wanted to ask, but I guess it wasn't me."

Maggie slouched down just enough to kick her brother under the table. "He's an idiot for not asking you to go, Linda. We're all gonna go together and we're gonna have a great time tomorrow night."

Michael turned his attention back to his dinner when the conversation suddenly turned mind numbing and the girls began to debate eye shadow with glitter versus eye shadow without glitter. He was reaching for another piece of cornbread when Sierra nudged him and he turned to look at her. "What?" he growled.

"I was just wondering what your plans are for tomorrow night since you didn't ask Maria to the dance; you guys have a big date planned?"

His gaze momentarily rested on his mother, noticing the way she diverted her own gaze, before he looked at his cousin once more. "No, I don't have anything planned for tomorrow night."

"Seriously? No plans on a Friday night?" Summer asked.

"No, no plans."

"You could always go to the dance," Linda suggested, her eyes downcast.

Michael snorted and bit back the response that immediately came to mind. "Not happenin'." He snatched up another piece of cornbread and pushed his chair back. "Do you need any help with anything else, Mom?"

"No, sweetie, the girls already offered to help clean up." She smiled. "You're free to go."

He nodded and grabbed the phone on his way back to his bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him and dialing a number. "Shadow, I need a favor," he said as soon as his cousin answered the phone.

Shadow was used to Michael's abrupt manner and simply acted as if they had already moved past the greeting part of the conversation, and not ignored it altogether. "Sure, what's up?"

"You're on the yearbook committee, right?"

"Which you already know, so whatcha need?"

"I need a phone number for what's-his-name, the other school mascot."

"Cameron Davis?"

"Unless you know of another mascot, yes, Davis. I need his number and I need you to keep it quiet. Can you do that?"

"No problem, lemme just look it up for you. Everything okay?" Shadow asked as he plowed through the contents in his backpack looking for the information Michael was requesting.

"Yeah, I just need to ask him somethin' and it can't wait until tomorrow."

"Okay, here it is."

Michael snatched a pen up off of his desk and scribbled down the number, repeating it back to his cousin to make sure it was correct. "We didn't have this conversation, Shadow."

"What conversation?"

Michael shook his head and grinned. "I'll see ya at lunch tomorrow." As soon as they had disconnected he dialed the number Shadow had given him, pacing the floor while he waited for someone to answer. He paused when the ringing was interrupted and he recognized the voice that spoke from the other end. "Cameron?"

"Uh, yeah." The boy who had answered paused for a heartbeat. "Who wants to know?"

"Michael Guerin. I wanna know what's up with you an' Linda."

"Hey, man, relax. I got the picture, okay?"

"What're you talkin' about?"

"I know she's your sister's best friend and when the guys on the basketball team found out I was gonna ask her to the dance they warned me that if I did you'd – "

"Did I come to you personally and warn you to stay away from her? Did I threaten you in any way?"

"Well, no, but they said she's like a sister to you and you'd probably come after me and kick my ass if you found out I had asked her to the dance."

Michael rolled his eyes and wondered how in the world the girls chose these guys. "Look, Cam, let's get one thing straight here, okay? If I didn't warn you about goin' out with her, or tell you to get lost, then there's no reason for you to turn tail and hide." He sighed and threw himself down in his desk chair. "Have you asked someone else to go to the dance?"

"No."

"So you still wanna go with her?"

"Yeah."

"You've been out with Linda a few times so I'd imagine that you've got her cell number?"

"Yeah."

_This kid was way too dense._ "Then get on the phone and call her and ask her to go with you tomorrow night. Can you do that?" He nodded when the boy gave an affirmative response. "Good. Go call her. And, Cam, do not tell her that we talked, got it?"

"We didn't talk, got it."

"Oh, and it'd be wise for you to remember that the idiots on the basketball team weren't wrong about everything; Linda is like a little sister so I don't wanna find out that you've hurt her in any way, otherwise you and me, we're gonna have a problem."

"Right," Cameron said, relieved. "I really like her a lot, and y'know, we hung out a lot when we were at – "

"Uh, Cam? Really not interested here." He disconnected and tossed the phone on the bed behind him, shaking his head at the sheer stupidity of people in general and turned his attention back to his computer.


	52. Chapter 51

**Part 51**

Maria scanned over the schedule taped to her locker and frowned when she realized she wasn't scheduled to work all weekend. She pulled the paper down and walked to the small room Liz's dad used for his office. He was sitting at his desk, punching buttons on a calculator that was probably older than her and Liz both.

"Hey, Mr. P."

Jeff Parker looked up from the part of his job that he hated the most, grateful for the interruption. He smiled at his daughter's best friend and waved her inside, motioning to the chair across from his desk. "I thought you would've already been outta here," he said, nodding at the schedule she held in her right hand.

"That's kinda why I'm here; I wasn't expecting to have the entire weekend off." She shrugged. "Are you cutting back hours?"

"No, not at all. Things have seemed kinda strained between you an' Liz here recently so I thought maybe some time away from each other would help."

"Oh." _Well, he is Liz's dad,_ she thought. _He obviously wasn't going to cut his daughter's hours._ "So, it's just temporary then?"

"Maria, it's not a punishment," he assured her. "I took both of you off of the schedule this weekend." He nodded when she relaxed slightly. "Y'know, I tried to get Liz to tell me what's goin' on between the two of you but she didn't wanna talk about it. So? What about you? Wanna tell me what's goin' on? I used to be pretty good at helpin' you two fix things."

Maria sighed. It was nice of Mr. Parker to try and arrange things, but the entire situation just felt so impossible. "Some things just can't be fixed, Mr. P."

Jeff sighed in resignation. This was worse than he had thought it was and he didn't have any idea how to help them. It had been so much easier when they were little and all it took was a hug, some ice cream, and one of his pep talks to make things right again.

"I'll see you Monday after school," Maria said as she stood up.

"Will Amy be home soon?"

Maria shrugged. "Monday or Tuesday probably."

Jeff watched her, worried about the young woman. Amy definitely had her own way of raising her daughter, but Maria seemed to need her mother right now. "You should at least stop by for dinner, Maria."

She smiled, touched by his concern. "I'm thinking about spending the weekend with a friend; I'll have to call and see if they've got plans first though." She smiled. "Thanks anyway, Mr. P, I appreciate the offer."

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Michael was leaning back in his chair almost forty-five minutes later, feet propped up on the corner of his desk, and a pencil clamped between his teeth as he waited for the virus scan to finish running on his computer before he could get started on his search once more. He turned the page in the notebook in his lap and reached up to scratch his eyebrow before glancing at the progress meter on the screen.

The excited screams from down the hall startled him and he jerked, nearly unbalancing himself before he managed to grab the edge of the desk to pull himself upright. He bit the pencil in half and quickly threw the two pieces on the desk and took a drink of his juice to get rid of the taste of lead from the broken pencil.

"Damn it," he muttered as he dug through his top drawer in search of another pencil. He threw his notebook down in frustration when someone knocked on his door and he yelled an aggravated, "What?" at the unseen person as he leaned over to pick up the stapler that he had knocked off of the desk.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he sat back up and a pair of arms came around his shoulders. "What've I been tellin' you about huggin' me since you were seven years old, Linda?" he growled, recognizing the cartoon characters on the face of the pink watch on her right wrist.

"I know, it's against your rules," she whispered, hugging his shoulders tighter. "And calling Cam and involving yourself in my problem was probably against your rules too, but you just made me so happy. He didn't tell me you called him, Michael, but I know it was you."

Michael heard the unshed tears in her voice and he reached up to awkwardly pat her hands where they were linked, fervently hoping that she wouldn't start crying. "I don't know what you're talkin' about."

"I know, because you'd never do something so nice." Linda smiled as she finally released him and walked back to the door. "Y'know, if I had a dad or a brother I'd want them to be something like you."

"Get outta here," he muttered gruffly. "And keep it down, will ya?" Michael turned back to his computer, noticing that the virus scan was finished, and he scanned through the different sites he had bookmarked, looking for anything new or unusual. His eyes narrowed and he leaned in closer to the screen when he saw the newest post on the blog. After reading it he made some notes in his notebook and moved on to the next site, hoping to corroborate the blogger's post.

He could feel the excitement begin to take hold of him as his pencil filled the sheet of paper with notes from others who were claiming that the sighting in northern New Mexico was credible. On a clean sheet of paper he listed others who believed that the sighting was false and once he was finished he carefully studied both lists.

_It was real, he was sure of it_. Several of the sites were also claiming that it was more than just a sighting, and that there was possible wreckage in the area. He was suspicious of that particular claim because there was nothing to indicate that there was any evidence besides a few random posts that were unsubstantiated. _It was still worth investigating_, he thought as he stood and moved to the map tacked to the wall on the left side of his desk.

xxxxxxxxxx

Maria looked down at her cell phone when it rang and smiled when Michael's name appeared on the screen. She had been thinking about calling him but she hadn't wanted to call until she was sure she wouldn't be interrupting dinner with his family.

"Hi, Michael," she greeted.

"Hey, Maria. Listen, are you workin' tomorrow?"

Her eyebrows rose in surprise; his tone was as gruff as it usually was but there was something different about it that she couldn't quite identify. "No, I'm off all weekend."

"Feel up to a road trip?"

"What've you got in mind?" she asked, intrigued.

"I've got a lead… maybe about my biological parents, and I'm gonna go check it out tomorrow after school." He sighed and she could hear the frustration in his voice. "My parents have this rule about skippin' school, so I can't go until after school."

She didn't even have to think about it. She had lived in Roswell her entire life and she hadn't once chased a UFO sighting. Not to mention the possibility that it might help Michael find some of the answers he was looking for. "Okay, I'm in. Should I meet you at your house?"

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Catherine leaned against the wall in the hallway not far from Michael's open bedroom door and eavesdropped on his telephone conversation. She had been in the middle of putting a stack of freshly laundered towels in the hall closet when she had realized what he was talking about and whom he was talking to.

His words were carefully chosen and he didn't mention aliens or sightings once but the fact that he continued to talk indicated that Maria understood what he wasn't saying. She could hear the excitement in his voice even though he was trying hard to keep it under control, and it was obvious that the girl wasn't trying to talk him out of chasing after what would probably only be another disappointment.

Catherine straightened up as she realized that his discovery of the sighting had to be a recent development, and fast on the heels of that realization came the thought that for the first time since he had started searching for the truth about himself he hadn't come to her and John first. The phone hadn't rung, which meant that Michael had made a conscious decision to make the call, to share his news with someone outside of his family.

Her eyes widened when she heard him making plans with Maria… plans for a road trip with the intention of investigating the sighting. She had never liked it when he took off on these trips, but he had always gone with Eddie and that had given her some measure of comfort. The thought of her son taking off with Maria was in no way comforting; the trip would undoubtedly end in disappointment and the girl had never dealt with that side of his personality.

The more Catherine thought about Michael and Maria taking off on a road trip together the more certain she was that it was a bad idea.

"Catherine?"

She jumped when her husband called her name unexpectedly and she hurried towards him, motioning for him to be quiet and follow her.

"Were you listenin' to Michael's conversation?" he asked, amused.

"This is serious, John," she snapped. "Do you know what they're talking about?"

"I'm not the one who was eavesdropping." He could hear the combination of anger and annoyance in her voice so he motioned for her to continue.

"He's found another sighting." She kept her voice pitched low, mindful of their guests who were unaware of Michael's not-quite-human status.

"Okay." John shrugged, not understanding what had triggered her anger. "That's nothin' new; he's been chasin' these things for the past couple of years."

"He's planning a road trip with Maria," she hissed. "And I don't think it's a good idea for him to go – "

_Not again!_ John shook his head, wondering when his wife would let the 'Maria situation' go. "When are you gonna accept that he's almost an adult, Catherine? You can't keep throwin' your parental weight around."

Catherine narrowed her eyes at her husband. "_Almost an adult_, John, and until he's eighteen we have every right to stop him from doing things that we don't think he should be doing."

"And what is it exactly that _we_ don't think he should be doin'? Searchin' for his answers, chasin' down these leads, or datin' Maria?" Their son was a good boy; he was doing well in school, he helped out around the house or with the ranch, and he wasn't involved with drugs or alcohol. _Why couldn't Catherine just trust Michael?_ They had raised him well and he was a responsible young adult. They had done a great job with him and Maria's presence in his life wasn't going to change that.

"Yes, all of it," Catherine snapped.

John nodded. "So, you're willin' to sacrifice his happiness? Because that's exactly what would happen, Cath; Michael's driven by the need to know where he came from and why he was left the way he was, and he's never gonna be satisfied until he has those answers. Maria saw that in him and she accepted it without question – "

"That's your reasoning?"

John thought about it for a minute before nodding. "Yeah, that's it. What would you suggest?" he asked as he poured coffee into his mug.

"We have to tell him he can't go," she stated firmly.

He looked at his wife expectantly, speaking once he had surmised that she wasn't going to give in or see reason. "All that's gonna accomplish is – "

"Why would you tell me I can't go?" Michael stood in the doorway, confused by his mother's statement. "I'm not plannin' to leave until after school tomorrow."

"With Eddie?" Catherine asked, trying to hide her anger.

"No." His chin lifted just a fraction and his dark eyes gleamed defiantly. "Maria's gonna go with me."

"No, you're not going on a road trip to…" She paused, trying to remember if he had mentioned his destination.

"We're goin' up to Aztec; it's just a few miles from the Colorado border."

"No." She shook her head. "Absolutely not. With the time you're anticipating leaving, and the time it'll take to drive up there you're looking at an overnight trip and that's unacceptable."

Michael could feel his temper rising and he knew he was going to say something he would end up regretting if he stayed any longer.

John reached out to stop Catherine from going after Michael when he backed out of the room and walked away. "Let him go."

Catherine could feel despair building up inside of her. _Was she really the only reasonable and responsible person in the house?_ "We can't allow him to take this trip with Maria; have you thought about all of the potential problems that could come from them spending the night together?"

"Catherine, you're jumpin' the gun." He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "I need to get ready for work and you need to let this go for the night; we'll talk about it when I get home, okay? He's not gonna do anything until school's out for the weekend and if the sighting was in Aztec I'd imagine Maria will probably drive out here to meet him. It wouldn't make any sense for him to drive so far out of the way just to pick her up. You both need to take a step back and calm down, and we can decide how to handle this when I get home."

Catherine crossed her arms as she stared at her husband. "You're not thinking about everything that could happen if we allow them to take off and spend the night together. You can't honestly believe that they're gonna drive up to Aztec and stay overnight without having sex."

"I think you've forgotten that we were their age once," John said as he straightened up and kissed her. "And we didn't have to drive several hours away to be together, did we?" He shook his head. "We managed to sneak around behind our parents' backs without ever leavin' the Rez. I'm not sayin' they're a couple of little angels, Catherine, but they're both creative enough to come up with ways to be together without drivin' five hours away to do it."

"You're not taking this seriously," Catherine complained, annoyed by her husband's lack of understanding in this situation.

John reached out to take her in his arms, hugging her close in an attempt to soothe her. "Honey, I understand where you're comin' from, but in this case I really think you're overreacting; he's chasin' a sighting, somethin' he's been doin' for a long time." He walked over to the doorway and turned to look at her. "I'm not makin' light of your concerns, but you know how focused he gets when he takes these trips."

"We know exactly what Eddie's told us about their trips; Michael doesn't say much of anything about them. All I know is that he's never once come back after one of these trips with any useful information; he comes back angry and hurt, and he won't talk about it, he just bottles it up." She could feel her heart breaking at the thought of yet another deception looming on the horizon. These trips never ended well and Michael always ended up getting hurt again.

She shook her head and made a waving motion with her left hand. "Go on or you're gonna be late for work." She sighed when John nodded and hurried away. _He didn't understand_, she fumed silently. She would just have to come up with some way to convince him that she was right and this trip was a mistake.

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Maria hurried home after school the next day, rushing to grab her things and throw them in the backseat of the car. She had been held up at school when one of her teachers had stopped her in the hall to discuss a recent assignment so now she was running late. Once she had locked the house up she stopped at the gas station to fill up before driving out of town. She was sure that her classes that day had been longer than usual and while that was expected due to her anticipation of the road trip, the day had seemed endless.

She had no idea what to expect from the road trip and she wondered if there was any validity to the sighting Michael wanted to investigate. His mother and sister had both warned her about how badly he reacted when one of his trips to investigate sightings ended in disappointment. Neither of them seemed to believe that his pursuit of information was going to lead to a discovery of the truth and they were both worried about the constant disappointments he had dealt with in the past.

At some point one of his leads had to have results. His very existence proved that aliens were real; he had been left on this planet so there had to be others like him somewhere. She didn't know what his expectations would be if he did find what he was looking for because they had never talked about it, but she knew it was important to him to find the answers to all of his questions.

She glanced at her watch and muttered a curse under her breath; thanks to her teacher and having to stop for gas she was running half an hour late. Michael hadn't asked her to be there at a specific time but she knew he would be expecting her to arrive earlier than she was going to be there.

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Michael ran through the front door and hurried to grab a clean set of clothes, glancing at the time on his way to the shower. He hadn't expected to have to squeeze a shower into his schedule, but because he was covered in grease from messing around under the hood of Linda's jeep when it wouldn't start, it was a necessity.

He rushed through his shower, his mind already busy running through the possibilities that could come from the sighting. _What would he find at the ruins?_ he wondered as he dried off and got dressed. _Was it possible after all this time that he would finally find the answers he was looking for?_ He was running the towel over his hair when the scent of watermelon caught his attention and he lowered the towel, glaring at it for several seconds before bringing it up to his nose and sniffing it suspiciously. _Okay, Mom hasn't changed laundry detergents… _His head lifted and he stared at his reflection in disbelief before turning back to the shower and snatching up the bottle of shampoo sitting on the shelf.

His eyes scanned over the familiar label of his preferred brand and he quickly uncapped the bottle and held it under his nose, sniffing it. He replaced the cap and jerked his shirt on before stalking through the house in search of the culprits, certain he knew who had replaced his normal shampoo with the fruity one now residing inside the bottle.

All five girls looked up when Michael stormed into the kitchen and slammed the bottle of shampoo down on the table between them. Their innocent expressions didn't fool him for a single second and he pointed at them accusingly.

"I assume there's a reason you want us to see your shampoo?"

"That is _not_ mine," he snarled.

"No?" Maggie picked the plain bottle up, examining it closely. "Well, it looks like yours; I mean, it's certainly not anything I'd ever use."

"Yes, it looks like mine," he growled as he placed one hand on the back of her chair and the other on the table next to her, and leaned down so they were at eye level. "But it's not. If you think –" His attention was pulled away from his sister when the other girls leaned forward, making exaggerated sniffing sounds.

"Do you guys smell… what is that?" Summer leaned back slightly, pondering her question.

"I smell it," Christina concurred, nodding. "It's kinda… what's the word… fruity?"

"Hmmm, I think you guys are right," Maggie mused, leaning back to look at her brother. "That's watermelon, isn't it?" She glanced at the bottle in her hand again. "I didn't realize they made your shampoo with a watermelon scent."

"They don't." Michael straightened up and snatched the bottle out of her hand. "You were all in on this; I don't know which one of you actually did it, but you're all in trouble." He left the room, barely containing his anger when he heard Maggie and her cohorts laughing at him.

Back in his room he finished getting ready, fervently hoping that the shampoo's scent would quickly dissipate because he didn't have time for another shower. He grabbed the bag that he had packed the night before and unzipped it, shoving the notebook with all of the information from the newest sighting inside along with a map of the area. A quick glance at the clock let him know that Maria would be arriving any minute so he zipped the bag up and carried it out and dropped it on the porch swing.

He was pacing the porch restlessly ten minutes later, wondering where Maria was when the screen door opened behind him. He didn't have to look to know it was his mother; he had long ago learned to identify his family by the sound of their footsteps.

"I told you last night I didn't approve of this trip," Catherine said, letting the door shut as she stepped out onto the porch.

"I can't not go, Mom." He shook his head and stared into the distance, willing Maria to hurry up. "This could be the one, can't you understand that? The information has been verified by multiple groups; this could be – "

Catherine could see the excitement building as her son spoke of finding his answers, but she already knew how it would end… badly, as usual. "Michael, I understand what this means to you, but – "

"You don't understand, Mom!" He started to pace again, his agitation clearly visible. "I need to do this; I can't just know about it and ignore it."

Catherine responded by raising her voice, "And I can't ignore an overnight trip that involves you and your girlfriend." She shook her head. "You're not going, Michael. I told you last night that you were not taking this trip with Maria and I wasn't just talking to hear myself talk. I know you don't understand and you probably think that I'm being unfair, but one day you'll understand."

Michael sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm goin', Mom, and you can't stop me."

"Give me your keys."

He turned to stare at her. "What?"

"I told you, Michael, you're not going to Aztec." She held her right hand out. "I want your keys. Now."

"Fine." He pulled his keys out of his pocket and removed the truck keys from the ring. He placed the keys in her outstretched hand and shoved the remaining keys in his pocket. "I'm still goin'; I don't care if I've gotta hitchhike the entire way!"

Catherine turned when John joined them and she knew right away that he wasn't going to put his foot down in this matter; he intended to let Michael make the trip. She didn't know what to say or how to make either of them do what she wanted them to do.

"Catherine, we've got five girls underfoot that need help getting ready for the dance and I don't think I'm gonna be much help to 'em." He turned to look at their son when she muttered something under her breath and went back inside. "I know you need to chase this sighting, that you've got questions you need answers to, and that you're almost an adult, but that doesn't give you the right to be disrespectful to your mother." He shook his head and glanced up when he saw the little red car turning into their driveway. "Your mother's concerns – "

"I know Mom's worried that we're gonna have sex," Michael interrupted. "But if this was about us lookin' for a place to have sex we could've just done it at her house, Dad; Maria's mom has been outta town all week."

John smiled. _That much was true; if that was what this was about and Maria's mother had been gone, they would've had more than enough time to have sex, and the trip would be the last thing on Michael's mind!_ "You're old enough to differentiate between right and wrong, and you've gotta do what's right for you, but you're smart enough to know that your mother's concerns don't exist only because Maria's goin' with you; that's a big part of it, but she's never been happy about you chasin' these things. You do what you need to do, Son, but think about what I said." He reached out to pat the younger man's shoulder before turning to go back inside. "You two be careful and don't get into trouble."

Michael grabbed his bag and hurried down the steps as soon as his father stepped back into the house. He stalked past Maria when she stepped out of the car, jerking the back door open and throwing his bag inside.

"I guess we're taking my car?" Maria asked when he slammed the door.

"Could you have been any later if you had tried?" he snarled as he reached out to take the keys from her. "I told you last night that this was important to me and you said you'd be here – "

"I told you I'd be here and I am here," Maria snapped, annoyed by his attitude and rude behavior. "I can't help it if I got sidetracked by a teacher and – "

"I don't have time for this," he interrupted. "Get in if you're goin'," he ordered as he slid in behind the wheel.

Maria stared at him for several short moments as she digested the fact that he obviously intended to drive and he was telling her what to do. She ran around the car and jerked the door open when he started the car and gunned the engine and she realized that he wasn't joking; he was leaving with or without her.


	53. Chapter 52

**Part 52**

Maria looked at Michael with incredulity shining in her green eyes. From what she could tell, whatever had happened at home must have been bad for him to be in his current mood, but no way was she going to let him treat her like this! "You can't just call me and ask me to go out to the middle of nowhere with you and then threaten to steal my car just because you're pissed off about something. I suggest you start by telling me what the hell happened to put you in this mood; I'm not your personal punching bag and I won't be treated like one. I'm not here so you can just take your anger out on me." She rolled her eyes when he ignored her, glancing around when he turned down another street and after a few minutes pulled up in front of a small house. She rolled her eyes when he got out of the car and took the keys with him. As soon as he let himself in the front door she pulled her spare keys out of her purse and climbed over the gearshift to settle into the drivers' seat.

Michael locked the door behind him and ran back to the car, skidding to a halt when he realized the passengers' seat was empty. He leaned down to look inside when the engine suddenly came to life and he frowned when he saw Maria sitting behind the wheel.

"We're not going anywhere until you start talking," she said when he opened the door and dropped down into the passengers' seat. "You either tell me what's got you in such a bad mood or we'll sit here all day."

Michael stared down at the handheld GPS navigator in his left hand and forced his grip to relax to avoid crushing it. He knew she was right and he shouldn't be taking his bad mood out on her, but what was he supposed to say?

"I can drive back home just as easily as I drove out here, Michael."

He could see from her expression that she wasn't kidding, and if he didn't do something she was going to drop him off and go home. _C'mon, Guerin, say something before she leaves! _"I got into it with my mom," he blurted out after a heavy silence. "She's havin' a fit over us takin' this trip and when she took my keys I told her I was goin' even if I had to hitchhike."

Maria turned to look at him. "So you got into an argument with your mom and you're taking it out on me?" She shook her head. "Huh-uh, you don't get to act like that just because you're pissed at your mom. I didn't come all the way out here with the intention of going with you on this road trip just so you could have someone to take your anger out on."

Michael watched the fingers of her right hand as they drummed out an irritated rhythm on the steering wheel. He had no idea what to say to her but she continued while he was still thinking.

"And then you just take my keys and my car and you order me around?"

He had to find a way to calm her down before she worked herself up and they ended up in a shouting match, otherwise they were never going to make it to the ruins. It was becoming obvious that she had no intention of moving the car until she had said what she wanted to say or until he apologized. He didn't have all day to wait for her to get around to finish having her say and he sucked at apologies so he had to find a way to end her ranting.

"Because if that's the way you're gonna act every time you get pissed off about something…" Maria paused when he turned around and dragged his bag between the seats and placed it in his lap. "What're you doing?" she asked, watching him unzip it and push a notebook and a shirt out of his way.

Michael pulled out a bag of assorted candy bars, reaching inside to remove a handful of the small chocolates and offer them to her.

_Okay,_ Maria thought, staring at his offering, _as apologies went it wasn't the best one she had ever received, but somehow it was so… Michael. _She reached out and plucked a couple of the candy bars from his hand and unwrapped one. "I'm gonna let it go," she said, shaking her head at him. "This time. Next time you get into an argument with your parents or anyone else, don't take it out on me, Michael," she warned. "Now, which way do I need to go?"

Michael pointed behind them. "You know where Highway 380 is?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Catherine stood on the porch, her hands gripping the railing tightly as she watched the taillights disappear into the distance. Circumstances may have been different, but having to stand back, powerless, and having no choice but to let Michael go immediately dragged her mind back into the past and she could feel the emotions rise to the surface as if it had happened yesterday. She could easily remember the day he had been taken by Social Services; he had been with her less than eighteen hours but in that short amount of time he had already taken his place in her heart.

_After his introduction to the bath it had taken her and John both to dry the boy off and wrestle him into a clean set of clothes. She had been exhausted by the time they were finished and she just shook her head when he followed John to the refrigerator. He had watched as John filled a small cup with apple juice before snapping the lid on, and Michael had eagerly accepted it when it was offered to him. He had mastered the use of a straw with no problem and had quickly discovered that blowing into the straw produced the most entertaining sounds. It hadn't taken long for him to tire and he had gone in search of his blanket and the teddy bear that were never far from his sight._

_That morning she had watched Michael as he slept underneath the coffee table, his little body covered by the blanket River Dog had given him. She had tried to get him to sleep on the couch but had left him where he was after the third time he had gotten away from her and crawled under the table._

_Catherine turned her head when she heard the knock on the front door and she could feel herself tense up. The rational part of her brain knew that they had to turn Michael over to the authorities, but the emotional part was screaming at her to take him and run. She looked up when a hand settled on her shoulder._

"_It must be done this way."_

_She stared at her father-in-law and shook her head; she had forgotten that John's sister Skye had dropped the older man off when she had come by to pick Maggie up. "Why?"_

"_Because they will be able to do things that we wouldn't be able to do; he's gonna need a social security number and a birth certificate to – "_

"_You do know they're gonna put him in the orphanage, don't you?" She sighed and her gaze traced over the little boy's stubborn features again. "Do you know what it's like there? It'll scar him for life."_

"_Catherine, the boy is strong, and he will eventually move past this event. Imagine how much worse it would be if he were kept here long enough to begin to relax… what would happen if the authorities found out and took him at that point? This way you've got…" He had trailed off when his son entered the room with a police officer and a woman from Social Services._

"_Catherine, Dad, this is Ms. Seaton and Officer Rojas; they're here for Michael."_

"_The child is able to speak?" Ms. Seaton asked, opening up the oversized leather-bound notebook she held. "I was under the impression he was mute."_

_John shook his head as he glanced at his wife. "I never said he was mute; we believe the capability to speak is there but – "_

"_I'm sure a professional will be better able to assess the child's capabilities. Was he able to answer any questions or did he only respond when you asked his name?"_

_Catherine's eyes narrowed as she watched the woman make notations in her notebook while John gave her the same detailed information he had given the night before over the phone. The woman had all the warmth of an iceberg, and she had the personality to match. Her dislike of the woman grew with each emotionless question and she was grinding her back teeth together in an effort to stay silent. _

"_Well, I think I have everything I need so we'll collect the child and – "_

_That had been the final straw. "__**The child**__," Catherine snapped, "has a name, and he's not some stray animal that you're here to __**collect**__. I'd like to know what you intend to do with Michael when you leave here."_

"_There's really no reason for you to concern yourself with that," Ms. Seaton said in what was probably meant to be a reassuring tone but fell short of being sincere._

_Catherine met the woman's cold gaze as she stood to face her. "Well, I'm concerning myself so why don't you walk me through the process?"_

"_He'll be placed at the group home where he'll undergo testing to determine his mental, emotional, and physical limitations. He will remain under observation while the authorities attempt to locate any relatives. In the case that there are no relatives, or that the relatives found are unable to care for him, he will more than likely remain in the group home. The older a child is the harder it is to adopt them out." She glanced over her notes once more and shook her head. "Based on the information you've provided it's doubtful we would even find a family to foster him."_

_Catherine was well aware that the system was flawed and it allowed too many children to fall through the cracks, and with people like Ms. Seaton involved it wasn't going to improve. She could tell that the woman had already written him off and there wasn't a doubt in her mind that the emotionless woman had no intention of making Michael a priority or personally involving herself in his case._

_She glanced over her shoulder when she heard movement and she watched Michael crawl out from under the coffee table._

"_This is the child?"_

_His head had snapped up as soon as he heard the new voice and his expression had quickly become one of wariness. He searched the room and as soon as he spotted River Dog he had run to hide behind the man._

"_Office Rojas, if you would collect the child so we can wrap this up, please."_

_Oscar Rojas had never cared for this part of his job but he knew there were others who could be assigned to work with Social Services, others who could care less about the children involved in these situations. He had crouched down so he wouldn't appear to be so intimidating and in just a matter of seconds he knew the little boy was going to run from him._

_He pushed his hat back and leaned back on his heels when the little boy bolted through to the kitchen and scrambled under the dinner table. "Little fella's quick, isn't he?"_

"_Do you have children, Officer Rojas?"_

_He stood and smiled at Catherine Two Feathers. "Yes, ma'am, I've got three of 'em." He read the concern in the woman's eyes before he glanced back towards the kitchen. "I won't hurt him," he promised._

"_I don't have all day, Officer Rojas," Ms. Seaton said impatiently._

_Catherine almost smiled when the police officer rolled his eyes and nodded. She watched him crouch down once more; he tried to coax Michael out from his hiding place under the table and after a while he reached out to physically pull the little boy out. He jerked his arm back seconds later, staring at the teeth marks embedded in his flesh as the little boy escaped again._

_His heart went out to the little guy when he hid behind the older man once again. He was clutching a teddy bear in his left arm and his right hand was fisted around a handful of the man's jeans. His dark gaze was defiant despite the fear and suspicion so obvious there, and Oscar knew right away that he wasn't going to deal well with the system._

"_Maybe we could go with you," John suggested. "Michael doesn't care much for ridin' in cars but it might help if we're there to calm him down."_

"_That won't be necessary," Ms. Seaton spoke up. "This will go much smoother if we handle the separation here and now. I'm sure you'll agree – "_

"_No, Ms. Seaton, we don't agree with you," John interrupted. "Maybe you can just stand there and remain unaffected by Michael's situation, but we're not like that. Obviously you have no problem ignoring the fact that he has no idea what's happening to him and he's scared; you haven't even spoken to him or bothered to ask anything of a personal nature."_

_Catherine had nodded when John glanced at her before continuing. They had talked long into the night about their options, considering the adjustments they were going to have to make. Michael was going to need special care; he was going to have to be taught things that children half his age already knew, and there were his abilities to consider too._

"_I don't see a problem if you folks wanna ride in with him."_

_Michael had been stressed by the recent events and he had refused to move away from River Dog. Catherine had wanted to take the little boy in her arms and tell him that everything was going to be okay but she knew he wasn't comfortable with too much physical contact so she settled for kneeling down in front of him and speaking softly as she held her hand out towards him._

_He had stared at her outstretched hand, palm facing up, and his fingers had flexed around the handful of denim he was clutching like a lifeline. She could tell that he didn't understand her words as she talked to him, assuring him that they had no intention of leaving him with Social Services. He had responded to her tone, relaxing slightly, but he hadn't released his grip on River Dog's leg._

_She hadn't been able to go with them because she had been scheduled to work and she had watched Michael as River Dog carried him out to the police car waiting in the driveway._

"_Hey, you gonna be okay?" John asked, pulling her into his arms and massaging the nape of her neck._

"_He's gonna be so lost there, John, and he's not used to being around people. He'll think he's been abandoned all over again; he isn't gonna understand – "_

"_Catherine, we've gotta trust my dad's instincts on this. While I'm there I'll find out who we need to talk to about getting custody or becoming guardians or foster parents… whatever they wanna call it, okay?"_

_She hadn't had any other choice but to agree at that point so she had nodded and stood on the porch, watching the car and its occupants until it was too far away to follow any longer._

"Catherine?"

John's concerned voice brought her out of her memories and she turned to look at him.

John knew from experience that he wasn't going to be able to tread carefully enough to avoid her temper. There was no way to get around it so he jumped in with both feet. "You all right?"

Catherine glared at him and it was clear from her expression that he had just uttered the stupidest question she had ever heard. "No, John, I'm not all right. You just sent our son off on this… this… quest, investigation… whatever the hell you wanna call it, knowing that they're in a relationship I don't approve of. I realize that it's entirely possible for them to sneak under our radar right here, but you don't just send two seventeen-year-olds off on an overnight trip when there's no supervision whatsoever. You might just as well have paid for some cheap motel room and given him a box of condoms."

John hurriedly looked away and bit the inside of his cheek. _It wasn't funny_, he reminded himself. _It wasn't_. He knew if she even suspected that he found her rant funny he would be paying for it for the next week so he did his best to keep it under control. She was still muttering about the stupidity of men in general, and him in particular, by the time he was certain he could face her without laughing.

"And how many times do I have to tell you that she doesn't know how to deal with him if it ends up like all the other times?"

"Cath, he's never talked to us in any detail about his previous trips; he comes home and stomps around the house for a few days before he lets it go and moves on to the next one. Obviously we know he's disappointed, angry, and hurt, but he buries it after a few days." He leaned against the railing and crossed his arms over his chest. "Maybe this trip will be like all the others; maybe it'll just be another big disappointment, and maybe when he falls he'll let her catch him. I'm just sayin' there's a bigger picture here, and maybe you're not seein' it."

"John…"

Her tone held a warning and he nodded as he straightened away from the railing. "Why don't I go make dinner since you're gonna be busy with the girls." He paused beside her and nudged her shoulder with hers. "I know I can't understand this from your point of view, but I do know where your mind is." He reached out to cradle her cheek, turning her head to meet his gaze as he shook his head. "It's not the same thing, honey."

Catherine frowned at his back as he went inside. _And that is the problem with marrying your best friend_, she thought with a scowl. "It's not the same thing," she muttered, repeating his parting words. _Well, it sure felt the same._

It had seemed like forever before they had been given permission to take Michael home from the orphanage. As she had expected he had been traumatized by the nearly two-week stay among the adults and children, but as River Dog had predicted the little boy had eventually moved past those events.

Several different specialists had been brought in to assess the little boy and to decide if his condition was reversible; they had made their reports and the only thing they had agreed on was that he wasn't a good candidate to be placed in a foster situation and it was even less likely that he would ever be adoptable. Despite their warnings that Michael was most likely going to be mentally and emotionally handicapped by his abandonment she and John had gone ahead with their plan to find a way to bring the boy home to live with them.

They had met resistance at first because, despite the fact that Michael was considered to be un-adoptable, the authorities had been reluctant to place him with a Native American family. They had claimed that it was because they were concerned that the placement would only cause more harm, but they had run into racism before and they knew what it looked and sounded like.

Eventually, it had come to the director's attention that the only time Michael responded or showed interest in his surroundings was when the family came to visit and he started to leave his office and observe their interaction. After several visits he had made a phone call to Oscar Rojas, the police officer who had come to their house to pick Michael up and take him to the orphanage; the interview with the officer along with his observations of the family and the little boy had pushed him to make a decision that hadn't been popular at the time.

He had finally convinced those who were against the decision to send Michael home with the family that it was the best solution. The little boy responded to them, was happy to see them when they arrived, and once they were gone he quickly retreated into his shell and refused to interact with anyone.

The director had given them the news on their twelfth visit and they had signed the release forms that day. They had taken Michael home that afternoon and little by little he had started to relax and settle into life with his new family.

"Hey, Mom? Sierra's got a problem with the zipper on her dress." Maggie stepped out onto the porch, her expression questioning. "Everything okay?"

Catherine glanced over her shoulder, nodding when she saw her daughter's concerned expression. "Everything's fine, sweetie." She turned fully when the girl bit her bottom lip and fidgeted, a sure sign that she had something on her mind besides the dance. "Was there something else, Maggie?"

"Well," she hedged, "I overheard you and Michael last night and you seem to be pretty upset about him leaving with Maria, and I was just wondering why you have a problem with her?" She went on when her mother remained silent. "It's just that you seemed like you were okay with her when she first came around and they started hanging out, but now it's like you guys are fighting about her all the time."

Catherine sighed quietly as she debated the best way to answer the question.

"I thought maybe you've got the same problem I had with her, and if that's the case, I wanted to tell you something." Maggie moved closer to her mother, sitting down beside her to share her story. She didn't like seeing her mother and her brother at each other's throats; it was unsettling and she had to do something. Maybe her mother had the same problem that she herself had had, accepting that Michael had his own life, and that he had other people in his life that he cared about. Michael was so important to them, he was such an integral part of their lives and now they had to share him with another person, someone who wasn't in their family.

Maggie had accepted that change but apparently, her mother had not been able to, even though it was something that she claimed to want for Michael. "When Maria first found out about Michael, that he's, y'know, different, I behaved pretty badly towards both of them. I think she could tell that it was really bothering Michael because she cornered me right away and… well, she's not trying to come between us and Michael, Mom; I think she really understands how strong his bonds are with his family. But I think she also knows how important it is to him that he find the answers that he's looking for." Maggie paused for a moment. "She makes him happy, Mom; there's something different about him when she's around and maybe I can't define it, but I know it's a good thing." She shrugged. "Anyway, I just thought you should know that."

"Why don't we go see about Sierra's zipper, sweetie," Catherine said, hugging her daughter. "And, I'll think about what you've said." She watched the girl walk back into the house and sighed as she wondered when things had changed and she had started getting advice from her own daughter.


	54. Chapter 53

**Part 53**

Maria glanced over at the bag that was still sitting in Michael's lap. "So, what makes you think this sighting is credible?" she asked. Her wrists were balanced on top of the steering wheel, her hands busy unwrapping another candy bar.

Michael had been lost in thought, staring at the miles and miles of desert that stretched out on either side of the highway, and he didn't respond until she reached over and poked him. "What?"

"I asked what makes you think this sighting is credible?"

His eyebrows lifted in surprise; he wasn't used to anyone other than Eddie asking about the sightings he chased. "Are you askin' just to make conversation?" he asked.

"No, I'm honestly interested. Despite growing up in Roswell I've never done this before so I wanna know what makes this particular sighting worth investigating. There are probably a lot sightings each year, so why is this one special?"

"Seventy thousand sightings each year," he said as he unzipped his bag once more, pulling out the map and notebook he had brought along for reference. "Worldwide, anyway. I've checked out sightings in Arizona, Colorado, and Texas, but that's as far as my parents have let me go."

"Have you ever found anything?"

Michael's fingers traced over the spiral binding of the notebook as he shook his head. "Not yet," he answered finally. He glanced at her when her hand came to rest over his, stilling his movements.

"Maybe this'll be the one."

"Yeah." He shrugged. "Anyway, there are plenty of UFO sites on the Internet and some are more credible than others." He opened the notebook and flipped through several pages. "Thing is, on Thursday there were multiple hits on several dozen different sites and the information corresponds, even on the ones that are usually less than reliable. Now, there were a few that claimed that wreckage was found in the area, but I don't think they hold any water. The sighting itself though, there're too many similar points between the claims on the different sites for it to be false."

Maria listened to him as he listed off eyewitness accounts from multiple people, the similarities of the detailed descriptions given, the weather report on the night of the sighting, and even interviews with a sheriff's deputy and several off-duty military personnel who had been in the area. He was trying to control it, but she could hear the excitement that he was trying so hard to hide.

He unfolded the map in his left hand and held it down against the dashboard so she could see part of it. "See this area right here?" He pointed at a spot near the Colorado border. "This's where the sighting took place… right above the Aztec Ruins. The West Ruins are open to the public, but the East Ruins are closed off to protect them from further damage, and that's where the sighting happened."

"If the sighting happened over a protected Native American site and the sighting is public knowledge, won't there be park rangers or local police there to make sure that no one gets into the ruins at night?"

"Might be." He shrugged, unconcerned. "We'll have to check it out when we get there." He folded the map up and reached into his bag to pull out several pieces of paper that he had taped together. He leaned over to pick up the map when he dropped it and shoved it back in his bag before carefully opening up the papers held together with scotch tape.

Maria sniffed the air when he straightened up and went back to his papers. "Do you smell that?"

"What?"

"Smells like… watermelon, I think." She rolled her eyes. "My mom's always changing the freshener she puts in the car, but you'd think I would've noticed that before now."

Michael silently cursed the girls as he tried to come up with a plausible explanation. "Have you been usin' the heater?" he asked, motioning towards the vents that were pushing out heated air.

"No, it hasn't really been cold enough to use it until today."

"Well, there ya go; it's probably just one of those scents that reacts to heat or somethin'." He was relieved when she nodded in agreement and dropped the subject. "You brought a coat, right? This time of year there's probably gonna be snow on the ground as we go further north and the temperature can drop below twenty degrees at night."

Maria smiled at Michael's words. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who cared, but he really did. "Yeah, I brought a coat."

"Anyway," he pressed the papers against the dashboard and traced his right forefinger along the border of the printed picture. "It'd be too obvious to go in through the front entrance and that'd be a waste of time anyway because that's where the West Ruins are. But, if we come in from the backside, somewhere in here," he tapped his finger against the section he was talking about, "we'll be closer to the East Ruins and we shouldn't have any problems runnin' into anybody."

"Won't it be obvious if we just leave the car parked out in the middle of nowhere?"

"It would be if that's what we were gonna do. See this? There's a housing development and a trailer park that border the ruins here, so we can leave the car there and hike in."

"The ruins take up quite a bit of land; how're we gonna know we're even in the right area?"

Michael carefully folded the paper up and put it back in his bag before holding out the GPS navigator he had retrieved earlier. "This's how we're gonna know we're in the right place; I picked it up when we stopped at Eddie's house earlier." He shrugged. "He's outta town but he gave me a key to his house, and the last time we went out I forgot to get the navigator back so I had to go get it. The coordinates were listed on several of the sites and with this we'll be able to go right to the location of the sighting." He readjusted his seat and stretched his legs out a little more as he slouched down and shifted to lean against the door. "Did you know that nearly every civilization has recorded sightings and encounters throughout their history?"

She nodded. "So, what do you think about all of the abduction claims?" Her eyebrows lifted in question when he snorted disdainfully. "You don't think there's any truth to it?"

Michael snorted loudly, expressing his opinion on that subject. "I think it's been blown way out of proportion. Why would beings that are clearly superior come here to abduct – "

"Wait just a minute, Spaceboy. _Clearly superior? _What exactly makes aliens so superior?" Maria asked, sending a threatening look in his direction.

Apparently unaware of Maria's reaction to his little statement, he went on with his speech. "Their ability to master space travel, the fact that despite thousands of sightings every year there's nothin' really concrete to prove their existence, the fact that they've built ships capable of withstanding long-distance travel, not to mention their maneuvering capabilities. Oh, and the fact that aliens have powers that humans don't," Michael said, listing his reasons with a satisfied smile.

"Mastering space travel? I think you're getting ahead of yourself just a bit. Planet Earth has made some pretty impressive leaps in space travel – "

"Please," he scoffed. "Your people went to the moon – "

Maria wanted nothing more than to erase that superior tone from Michael's voice and she launched what she was sure was a killer argument. "That's right, we went to the moon. Intentionally. And you know what? The humans didn't crash on the moon." She paused for the space of a heartbeat. "As I recall it was an alien craft that crash landed back in '47. So, either your people built an inferior ship or the pilots weren't very well-trained in landing on foreign planets." Maria ended her short speech with a smile, quite happy with her answer.

Michael frowned, displeased with Maria's conclusion about 'his' people's abilities. "Or, your people shot them down. They didn't waste any time coverin' it up."

Maria rolled her eyes as she realized that Michael didn't want to admit that aliens might not really be that advanced. She wondered why even as she spoke. "Yeah, _my_ inferior people shot _your_ advanced people down and caused them to crash. And how did they accomplish that if _my_ people are so retarded compared to yours?" She paused for a second, not wanting to be dragged much further into this heated debate and decided to ask him about what had been bothering her about their discussion. "Anyway, my people, your people… are you trying to tell me something? Like maybe you're planning to leave with them when you find them?"

"No. At least I don't think so." His gaze followed her as she shifted around and reached back between the seats to grab a bag of chips. "I just need answers; I wanna know why they left me in the desert, so far away from the roads or civilization that it's a miracle River Dog found me. I just need to know why they never bothered to come back for me." He shrugged. "If I had grown up differently then I might have a different reason for lookin' for these answers, but I really just need to know the truth."

Maria understood that; she wanted answers herself, about her own family. "Your family's concerned that they're gonna lose you to this quest. You do know that, don't you?"

Michael grimaced. He really didn't like the way his mother had reacted. It seemed to him that she had gotten worse about his quest, here lately. He didn't want to think too much about it though. The last thing he wanted was to split his family up with his quest. "Yeah. Mom's never liked me goin' after the sightings, but this's the first time she's ever come right out and told me that I couldn't go."

"Is it that you're investigating the sighting that your mom has a problem with or is it that I'm going with you?"

"Take your pick," he grumbled.

Maria remained silent for a few seconds, thinking about what Michael had said. So, Catherine _did_ have a problem with her; she had suspected as much but it was the first time he had more or less confirmed it. "So, she objects to both and yet you're still going. What'd you do, promise her nothing would happen between us?"

"I never make a promise unless I know I can guarantee the outcome."

"And you don't think you can do that?"

Michael glanced at her, unable to decipher her neutral tone. "We're goin' outta town on an overnight trip without any parental influences to stop us; are you sayin' it's completely out of the realm of possibility that we could have sex?"

"No, I'm not saying that at all," she answered honestly. A happy smile graced her features. _Thinking about being with Michael that way was definitely something she had been dreaming about._ "I'd be a liar if I said I hadn't thought about it. I was just wondering how you managed this trip since your mom was set against it."

"Oh." Michael was still trying to wrap his mind around her matter-of-fact statement. "My uh, my dad had to get involved; I've got a feelin' that I'm probably gonna be in trouble when we get back though."

"Why?"

"Dad's pretty laid-back but he doesn't tolerate disrespect." He flipped through the pages of his notebook just to keep his hands busy. "I should've kept better control of my temper last night when Mom started tellin' me I couldn't go, but I lost it and there was yelling on both sides and she got upset…" He sighed. "Dad's always been pretty cool about lettin' me investigate the sightings, and this time really wasn't any different in that aspect, but the whole argument with Mom…"

"Meaning you've gotten yourself in more trouble than usual?"

"Probably." He reached up to scratch his eyebrow. "Tell me about Roswell; what was it like growin' up there?"

_Growing up in Roswell…_ Maria smiled. _That had been quite a unique experience, and still was, some days_. "Well, it's a tourist trap and there're new people in and outta town every single day, but it's home. My mom has a shop there and like most of the places in town it has an alien theme because… well, because that's what the customer's are paying for." She glanced at him sharply. "Not one comment about my mom's choice of jobs; she did what she had to do to pay the bills." She continued when he simply shrugged and motioned for her to go on. "One of her friends, Nina, has the shop right next to hers so if there's anything you wanna know about mysticism that's the place to go."

"You're close to your mom's friend?"

"Nina? Yeah, she's kinda like family; she watched me when I was younger and my mom was out of town for conventions or buying trips. You'll meet her one day and I think you'll like her. She's nice and she's got a very dry sense of humor that I think you'll probably be able to appreciate."

"I noticed some uh, museums, when I came through to pick you up last weekend… you ever spent much time there?"

"The UFO museums?" Maria frowned, searching through her memories to see if she had been there. _Hmm, maybe once or twice when she was younger, but nothing there had really made an impact on her._ Not really. I mean, I've been through them of course, but I've never really done much more than walk through and glance at the stuff on display. I know they've got a lot of information on the '47 crash if you're interested in that, but other than that I don't think it would be of much interest to you." She slapped his hand away when he reached over to snag the bag of chips. "Get your own."

"Did you bring anything to drink?"

"There's a few drinks in that little cooler behind your seat."

Michael unbuckled his seatbelt and shoved his bag into the backseat before twisting around to get to the drinks. "You want one?" he asked, his voice muffled.

Maria turned her head to glance at him just as he reached down to open the cooler and the movement pulled his shirt up. The material crawled up further since he was practically hanging upside-down over the seat, exposing most of his right side. She briefly wondered where he had gotten the wide scar just below his ribcage before turning her gaze back to the road. Her eyes widened when she realized that while her attention had been focused on him the car had begun to drift into the opposite lane and oncoming traffic so she jerked the wheel back to the right to miss an oncoming truck.

"Hey!" Michael yelled when the sudden movement nearly threw him into the backseat. "What the hell are you doin' up there?"

"Rabbit. In the road." She cringed at the lame response and hurried to turn the heater down before he turned back around.

"Well, I'm all for preservin' the wildlife an' all, but warn a guy, would ya?" he grumbled as he settled back in his seat. "There's no need to hold out on the good stuff, y'know." He opened two cans of soda and set them in the cup holders before debating between the bag of chips in his right hand and the crème-filled chocolate cupcakes in his left. He finally dropped both in his lap and reached for the drink once more.

Michael opened the small bottle of Tabasco sauce he had grabbed from his bag and poured some into the small opening at the top, swirling the can around to mix the contents before taking a long drink.

Maria turned her head when he leaned over to the left to drop the bottle in the console between the seats and she frowned when she caught the scent of watermelon again. She glanced at the heater that was on the lowest setting before looking back at him. _It wasn't possible,_ she thought. _He wasn't the type of guy that would use a shampoo that smelled like a fruit. _"So, Michael, what's up with the watermelon shampoo?" She jumped back when his head shot up, just barely avoiding a collision with the back of his head.

"What?"

She started to laugh at his look of indignation. "Look, the heater explanation… very quick thinking, but, try the truth this time."

"I'm gonna kill them," he muttered under his breath. "Okay, look, sometime between my shower last night and the shower I took when I got home after school the girls switched my shampoo out with this watermelon crap." He slouched down against the door and shook his head in disgust. "I didn't have time to take another shower, okay? Trust me, this is not what I normally use."

"You don't have to get so defensive," she laughed. "It's pretty obvious that the girls enjoy messing with you and I think it's good that your relationship with them is strong enough that they know what they can get away with."

Michael scowled while thinking about his sister, their cousins, and her two best friends playing that trick on him. "They're not getting away with this. Every last one of them is in trouble."

Maria tried not to laugh at Michael's expression; he was clearly not letting _that_ go. "Uh-huh, and what're you gonna do about it?"

"I haven't decided yet." He tore open the package of cupcakes and bit into the first one, chewing furiously.

"Want some help with that? I might have some good ideas." Maria's smile was positively evil.

Michael turned his head to look at her, impressed that she wanted to help him in his war with the quintuplets from hell. "I'll get back to you on that. So, what kinda information does the museum have about the crash?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I don't really know." She shrugged. "Like I said, I've never really paid much attention. Why? Is there something of interest about the crash?"

"I don't know. Maybe." He finished the second cupcake and contemplated the setting sun through the window on her side of the car.

"Okay," Maria said after he had been silent for several minutes. "You've got that look on your face again."

"What look?"

"The one that says you've got something to say but you're not sure how I'm gonna take it." She rested her hand on his arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"What if I told you that I think my existence here on Earth and the '47 crash are related?"

Maria glanced at him incredulously. "What? How is that possible? The crash happened more than fifty years ago." Her gaze slid over him in the fading light and she shook her head. "You're not trying to tell me you were on the ship are you? Because, despite the fact that you're an alien, that sounds pretty crazy, Michael." She regretted the words as soon as they were spoken.

"Yeah, I guess it does."

She felt him tense up and knew he was going to withdraw if she didn't explain. "Okay, I so didn't mean that the way it sounded. It's just… you're seventeen years old, Michael; how is it possible that your being here and the crash, an event that is three times older than you, could be related?"

"Because without that connection I don't have any other clue how I would've gotten here. I might just as well be some freak or mutant human without it."

"And the sightings you chase?" She nodded when he shifted around to face forward and he stared at the road before them, illuminated only by the headlights. "You think they're looking for you… for survivors of the crash." She felt him shrug. "If you really are a survivor of the '47 crash, how do you explain your age?"

"Stasis," he muttered finally. "It's the only thing that makes sense. They had to have had some sort of protocols in place in the event of a crash, some way to ensure the survival of those on board."

She nodded, impressed. _He had obviously thought a lot about this. _"Okay, say you're right about being kept in stasis for so long; how did you get to be so far from the crash? Your grandfather found you in the desert near the Rez and the crash was discovered 70 miles north of Roswell… you were six years old when he found you, so how'd you get there?"

"I don't know. Maybe the survivors were ejected from the ship in stasis pods… and maybe I was the only survivor. You wouldn't think they'd risk sending a six-year-old out like that… on his own, in a hostile environment, without another soul around…" He shrugged again. "I don't know. That's the only theory I've got that really makes any sense. Because the only other one I've got isn't one I like to contemplate very often."

Maria wondered what he meant but didn't feel that he would welcome further questions right then. _Did he really think that he had been dumped by aliens, by his own people, in the middle of a hostile desert on an unknown planet, and just… forgotten?_ It was no wonder that he was so driven to find answers to the mystery of his existence.


	55. Chapter 54

**Part 54**

Alex was elbow-deep in Calculus homework when he started to feel like someone was watching him. He forced himself to finish the complex equation before giving in to his curiosity and looking for the person responsible for the weird feeling that had settled over him. He really hoped it wasn't the guys from the football team because he wasn't ready for another beating. _Nah,_ he thought, _if they had come in the restaurant wouldn't still be fairly quiet._

Most Friday nights were spent sitting in the back booth at the Crashdown, waiting for the girls to get off so they could go hang out. It was an opportunity to load up on food his mother wouldn't let him eat at home while getting his homework finished so his weekend was left free.

He glanced up when Liz sat down across from him and placed a fresh glass of orange soda and a plate of Saturn rings in front of him.

"How's your homework coming along?"

"Almost finished." He shrugged and reached for one of the onion rings, quickly dropping it when it burned his fingertips. "Ow!" He frowned as he examined his fingers for any serious damage. "I thought you were supposed to be off tonight?"

"I am. Well, technically, I am; I'm not on the clock. I was just giving my dad a hand until Alice gets here; she called and said she was running late."

"Then we're still hangin' out tonight?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing."

"What?"

"I thought maybe you had made plans with Isabel," Liz said, sliding the ketchup across the table when he motioned at the bottle. "She came in and sat down at the counter about fifteen minutes ago and she's been staring at you the whole time."

_Well, that explained the earlier feeling of being watched._ "No, I haven't made any plans with Isabel," he said, forcing his eyes to obey him and stay focused on the plate of perfectly golden-fried Saturn rings.

"What's going on with you two?"

Alex shook his head. "No idea. She's been keepin' a low profile the past few days."

"Maybe she feels bad because her friends beat you up."

He shook his head. "Those people aren't her friends, Liz, they just run in the same social circle. Bein' seen with Isabel just gave them another excuse to kick my ass; it didn't really have anything to do with her." He picked up an onion ring and broke it in half. "Isabel is probably the loneliest person I've ever known and Max is the only one she's ever been able to really talk to." He chewed thoughtfully for a few minutes, working his way through several of the large onion rings. "It's not that surprising that she's so concerned about us knowin' what we know or that she comes across the way she does."

Liz grabbed one of the last two onion rings and bit into it to keep from smiling. She wondered if Alex had any idea that he was falling for Isabel Evans.

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From her seat at the counter Isabel watched the two friends as they talked quietly and wondered what they were discussing. She was jealous of their easy camaraderie and she wished she were able to have friendships that were so open and accepting.

If she were honest with herself she would have to admit that Alex was the closest she had ever come to actually having a friend. Max didn't really count because he was her brother and he had no choice, he had to put up with her. But, Alex had a choice; he didn't have to put up with her… so why did he?

Isabel shook her head to dislodge the doubts that were starting to creep in. Why was she wasting her time thinking about someone who was clearly too dense to realize that she was waiting for him to come over and speak to her?

"You could've just come over and said hi."

She was startled when Alex suddenly appeared and sat down beside her. "What?" She had been so lost in thought that she hadn't even seen him move. _Not that she had been watching him_, she silently denied. _No, she definitely hadn't been doing that_.

"I realize the friendship thing is a relatively new concept for you so we're gonna start at the beginning," he said with a teasing smile. "When you see someone you know – and especially if it's a friend – it's customary on our planet to walk up to said individual and exchange a greeting."

Isabel quickly glanced around and relaxed when she realized that no one was close enough to have overheard his comment. "Your statement assumes that I had noticed you were even here."

"Ouch!" If he hadn't known that she had been watching him earlier or seen the teasing glint in her dark eyes he might have taken her comment personally. "Maybe I should've specified that the greeting should also be pleasant. We'll need to work on your greetings." He sat up straighter and his expression turned serious. "Lesson one, you have a friend who happens to be without a vehicle for the evening… what do you do?"

"Offer to call him a taxi?"

Alex rolled his eyes at her response. "Try again."

"Oh, you wanna borrow my phone to call your mom to come and get you?"

"Third time's the charm, give it another shot."

"You want me to offer to give you a lift to your house?"

"Well, since you offered so graciously I'd be happy to accept." He grinned. "I'll even duck down so no one sees me and none of the football players make either of us a target again."

"You think I'm a target?"

"I'm sure you've had plenty of hassles to deal with because we've been seen together."

"I think it's safe to say that the guys from the football team will leave you alone. Matter of fact I think they'll be leaving all of their usual targets alone from now on."

"You did somethin' to them," he guessed. He leaned on the counter when her dark gaze focused on him, wondering what she was going to say.

Isabel glanced around, making sure no one was near enough to overhear what she was about to say. "I may have taken a short tour through their subconscious."

"You shouldn't do that," he said, but he couldn't help the smile that surfaced.

"Probably not, but they shouldn't have done what they did to you." She finished her cherry soda and set the glass aside.

"What makes you think they're just gonna leave me alone?"

"The fact that they're bullies who only bother people when they're together; they never cause a problem unless they're in their little pack."

"Yeah, I've noticed that they've been maintaining a lot of distance from each other as well as everyone else." He reached for his glass and took a drink.

"That's because the three of them are in the process of asking themselves where their sexual preferences lie."

Alex barely had time to slap his hand over the lower half of his face when her ill-timed response caused him to choke and soda came pouring out through his nose. "Well," he rasped as he tried to clean himself up with a handful of napkins, "that had to be one of my top ten personal best moments." His only saving grace was that he hadn't been facing her when he sprayed soda everywhere.

"Alex, are you all right?" Liz asked, rushing over to him.

"Fine, just uh, just…" He cleared his throat and glanced at Isabel. She was just starting to be a little more at ease around him and he didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that or make her uncomfortable so he shook his head. "I somehow managed to breathe in at the same time I swallowed and now I've got soda everywhere."

"You want me to give you a ride home?"

"Nah, I thought I'd impose on Isabel since she was getting ready to leave."

"Only if you promise that you won't drink anything in the jeep," Isabel stated, her tone imperious.

"No problem." He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder as he stood up. "Liz, I'll see you in a couple of hours, and don't forget to bring the movie."

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Maria went through the radio stations several times before she found something she liked. She started to sing along with the singer and only made it through part of the chorus before the station changed from alternative to hard rock. She turned her head to glare at Michael despite knowing he couldn't really see her expression in the near-darkness inside the car.

"You don't just change the radio station in someone else's car," she snapped, reaching out to change the station once more. "That's road trip etiquette 101."

"I don't give a damn about road trip whatever," Michael growled as he leaned forward and changed the station once more. "I'm not gonna listen to some chick whinin' about life bein' ironic when there's real music playin' on another station."

Maria listened to the lyrics of the current song – _if one were to be so generous,_ she thought – and shook her head. "_Cowboy's From Hell_? I'll assume that's the name since it's just about the only phrase I can make out." She rolled her eyes. "And this is better than _Ironic_, in your opinion?"

"At least he's not whinin' into the mic."

"Yeah? Well, first, she's not whining. And second, all he's doing is screaming into the mic." She changed the station again and shook her head when she realized the song was over. She smiled in satisfaction when the next song started, certain that he probably hated boy bands.

Michael cringed at the sound coming out of the speakers. _She couldn't honestly expect him to listen to this crap._

Maria slapped his hand away when he reached for the radio again. "Don't touch that tuner."

He stared at the lighted face of the radio for several long, painful seconds before he placed his fingers against it and slid them to the left.

Maria watched the numbers on the display change until they stopped at the station he obviously preferred. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what he was doing when he placed the palm of his hand over the radio, but when the music paused for a moment and his hand started to glow she changed her mind.

"What're you doing?" she demanded.

"Attempting to keep you from torturin' me any longer," he said as he settled back into his seat once again.

Maria pressed the tuner button and frowned at it when nothing happened. "What'd you do to it?"

"I'm not listening to angry chick music or a bunch of boy bands and their unrealistic lyrics."

Maria paused and sorted through her mental lyrics file, searching for the words to the song that had been playing before he messed with the radio. "_I'll never break your heart… I'll never make you cry_?" She waved her right hand in the space between them. "What's wrong with that?"

"It's disturbing that you have the lyrics memorized," he muttered. "Look, it's unrealistic, that's all I'm sayin'. How do you promise that you're never gonna break someone's heart or make them cry? You can't promise that."

"Don't you think that's a little cynical?"

"Don't you think it's foolish for people to let themselves believe they're never gonna get hurt by the people they love? It's the people that love you and care about you that're most likely to hurt you."

"Okay, I'm not denying that," Maria said, her thoughts immediately turning to Liz and Alex.

Michael silently swore when he heard the sadness in her voice. _He had not meant to bring that subject up._ "What's your opinion of Native American music?"

"I like some of it. My mom listens to a lot of it, especially at her shop. Matter of fact, there's a tape in the glove compartment; I can't remember the guy's name, but I know he's local. His stuff's pretty good."

Michael opened the glove compartment and pulled out maps, loose papers, and a broken flashlight before finding the tape. "There a reason you're carryin' around a flashlight that doesn't work?" he asked as he shoved everything back inside. He frowned when he pushed the door shut and it wouldn't lock into place. "Why is it this crap never goes back in the way it came out?" he growled as he shifted the stuff around. As soon as the door closed and locked to his satisfaction he opened the cassette case and dropped the tape into his hand. "How 'bout a compromise?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"How're you doing with the research?"

Alex glanced at Isabel when she parked the jeep in his driveway and he nodded at the house. "You wanna come inside and take a look?"

"Don't you have plans?"

"Not for a couple of hours. Dad's away on business and Mom's at one of her book club meetings, so I'm on my own until Liz gets here."

"And why is Liz coming over?"

"We hang out and watch movies on Friday nights if neither of us has a date."

"You have dates?" Isabel winced at how harsh that had sounded and she turned to look at him when he chuckled unexpectedly.

"Believe it or not, I have had dates before." He opened the door and got out, turning and leaning down to face her. "Anyway, if you wanna come inside and take a look at what I've done this past week, you're more than welcome to do so."

Isabel stood in Alex's room several minutes later, looking over the short list that he had compiled over the past few days and frowned. "The closest one lives in Nebraska." She shook her head and looked at him. "How does this help us?"

"We're getting closer, aren't we? The closest we had found last week was in Ohio." He reached out to take the paper from her. "What happens when we do find a code talker who's close enough for us to take the next step?"

"What?"

"Well, logically, the next step is to go see the code talker, talk to him one-on-one, and see if he'd be willin' to decode the letter for us. So, I guess my question is, are you gonna _want_ to take that next step?" He sat on his bed and watched her move around restlessly, straightening up things on his shelves. "I realize Max vetoed any further investigation into the letter and its origin, but you've got every right to know where you come from, Isabel. He can do what he thinks is best for you and he can try to protect you, but he can't live your life for you."

Isabel pondered what Alex was saying as she found herself staring at the photographs of him with Liz and Maria, his parents, and other people that she didn't know. She envied the sense of belonging that was so apparent not only in the pictures but also when he was around his family and friends.

"I don't know if I'll be able to take that next step, Alex," she admitted finally.

"Okay. Tell me why."

She motioned at the shelf filled with framed photographs. "Do you know what I see when I look at these pictures?"

"What do you see, Isabel?" he asked, sensing that this was important.

"You belong here, with all of these people, and you don't have to question that. You know who you are, you know that you belong here, these people accept you for who you are, and they love you unconditionally."

"You don't think your parents love you unconditionally?"

"My parents don't really know me, Alex. I want to believe that they would still love me if they knew, but in a way I'm glad that Max is so damned cautious because I can blame him for them not knowing." She paused a moment and her fingers brushed along the edge of one of the picture frames. "We don't know how we got here; neither of us can remember anything from before we were found out in the desert… we don't know if it was intentional or accidental… I mean, who leaves their children in the desert? What kind of parents abandons their six-year-old children like that?"

Alex moved to stand beside her, daring to reach out and gently pry her fingers off of the shelf she was gripping. He knew she and Max were adopted, but he hadn't known that they had been abandoned in the desert at the age of six years old. That one small piece of information actually explained a lot about her and why she acted the way she did a lot of the time. It was no wonder she had reacted so badly to them finding out about the secret she shared with her brother; she felt like she had no control over the situation. "Maybe we don't know the answers to those questions yet, Isabel, but they're out there somewhere, and if you decide you wanna keep lookin' that's what we'll do; it's totally up to you."

"I don't know what I want to do." She stared at his hand, holding hers so securely in his own, solid without pressuring her to return the gesture. "What if we find something? What if we find the answers and…"

He heard the slight catch in her voice and his right hand came up to lift her chin so he could meet her shimmering gaze. "I can't guarantee that the answers will be the ones you want, Isabel, all I can guarantee is that if you decide you wanna pursue this as far as we possibly can that's what we'll do."

_Why was he so willing to do this? What did he expect to gain by helping them?_

Alex shook his head when her expression changed from confused to suspicious and she pulled her hand free from his loose grasp. He was certain he knew what she was thinking as she backed away from him and moved closer to the door. She was questioning his motives, wondering why he would help them, and what he expected in return.

"I should go," she said suddenly. "My mom will start to wonder where I am if I'm not home soon."

His expression turned somber when she practically ran from his room and within moments he heard the front door slam shut. He stood at the window and watched her hurry to the jeep and drive away, his expression pensive. He wasn't surprised that she had pulled away or that she had run from him, and he wondered what her decision would be. He intended to keep looking for a code talker who lived closer, hoping that if they found one the man would be able to decode the letter… if she chose to pursue that option.

Isabel needed answers, she wanted answers, but she was afraid of them. He could understand that better after her earlier revelation but he hoped she could find the courage he knew she possessed to take that leap of faith. She was obviously torn between wanting to know the truth and leaving things as they were, afraid that the truth might be more than she was ready to deal with. The fear that she and Max had been abandoned in the desert intentionally had to be terrifying and he didn't want to contribute to that fear. He was hoping that the answers they might find would alleviate her fears and put her mind to rest that they hadn't been discarded without a second thought by their biological parents.

With a sigh he glanced down at the paper in his hand before sitting down at the computer to start researching again.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael listened to Maria as she sang along with the song playing in the background, glad that they had finally found a compromise. Her voice dropped down until she was making a sound somewhere between a hum and a mumble, indicating that she didn't know all of the lyrics, and he had to smile.

When the song reached its end and the music began to fade she reached out to turn the volume down and he glanced at her.

"I know we're still about an hour and a half away from where we're going, but would you mind if we stopped for just a few minutes?"

"Told you not to drink both of those sodas," he grumbled. "You seen any signs for a rest stop?"

"I know you don't think I'm using a rest stop bathroom."

"What's wrong with it?" Michael smirked at her irritated huff and waited for an explanation. He wasn't that dense; he had been on enough road trips with his sister, her friends, and their cousins to know that rest stop restrooms were unacceptable except in the most dire of circumstances.

"Have you ever been in one of those bathrooms? Disgusting doesn't even begin to cover it, and I will not be stopping in any rest area for any other reason than to stretch my legs." She crumpled up the empty potato chip bag lying on the console between them. "Besides that, we're outta things to snack on and I want chocolate."

"Fine, but we'd better not stop for long," he warned. "Since a rest stop's not good enough, how close is the next town?"

"I don't know; I haven't seen any signs for a while now."

He reached into the back and pulled his bag to the front, unzipping it and feeling around for the map. "Is it gonna bother you if I turn on the overhead light?"

"Huh-uh, go ahead."

"Keep an eye out for the next mile marker," Michael said as he unfolded his map and ran his finger along the road they were on. He slid his finger further along the line that marked the highway when she called out a number. "Okay, we're about twenty miles from Cuba; it's not that big but…" he glanced at his watch. "It's early enough that whatever's there should still be open." Hopefully they could get in and out without anything holding them up because he was in a hurry and he didn't want to be any later than they already were.


	56. Chapter 55

**Part 55**

"Gimme a list of stuff you wanna pick up when we get to the station."

"What?"

"If you tell me what you want I can pick it up while you're in the restroom." He shrugged. "It's a good plan and it'll save time."

It was a good plan until they walked into the gas station and she asked where the restroom was.

"It's around back," the man behind the counter answered as he reached under the counter for the key. "You'll be needin' this."

Maria stared at the key dangling from one end of the large wrench he was holding in her direction. "You're kidding, right?"

"Why don't I show you where it's at," he suggested, standing with the aid of the cane in his other hand.

"We've got it under control," Michael snarled, snatching the wrench out of the older man's hand and herding Maria outside.

Maria jerked her arm free as soon as they were outside. "Michael, what's wrong with you?"

"Don't assume that just because he's older and uses a cane that he's harmless."

"Okay, first, I'm not that naïve. Second, I had no intention of walking to the back of this building with him. And third," she slapped his right arm, "you didn't have to be so rude."

"Don't expect an apology."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

The light mounted on the wall at the back of the building flickered every few seconds and did absolutely nothing to make the area look any better. Paint was peeling off of the building and trash and weeds littered the poorly maintained path.

Michael inserted the key into the lock and said a quick prayer to any being that happened to be listening to let the restroom be acceptable. He shoved the door open and frowned; apparently all of the AT&Deity lines were busy tonight.

"This is disgusting," Maria complained as she leaned around him to look into the restroom's dingy interior. "I need a shower just from looking at it."

"Maria – "

"Can't you use your secret powers to make it…" She waved one hand to indicate the grungy floor and walls. The toilet at least looked like it had been cleaned recently but it was still disgusting.

"They're not secret powers and I'm not Mr. Clean." He shrugged. "I can blow it up if you want," he offered, joking.

"I want you to know if this trip wasn't so important to you I wouldn't be doing this," she muttered, pushing past him and shutting the door in his face.

Michael smirked and paced nearby watching for anything or anyone that might approach from either side of the building.

"Okay, on the way home we do not stop here; I don't care if my bladder is seconds away from bursting."

He frowned at her when she wrapped a paper towel around one end of the wrench and tugged on it. "What're you doin'?"

"You touched that doorknob." She rolled her eyes when he just stared at her, uncomprehending. "Go wash your hands."

"What am I, five?"

Maria ignored his grumbling and waited while he washed his hands, carefully holding the wrench away from her body. When he was finished he took the wrench from her and they walked back to the front of the station.

"I'll take the key in; you go wait in the car."

Maria started to argue with him but changed her mind; she wasn't going to be paying for anything at this sad excuse for a convenience store anyway so there was no reason to go in. She sat on the hood of the car when he handed the key to the clerk and walked back to the wall where the refrigerated cases stood.

She braced the heels of her shoes on the bumper and leaned back on her hands as her gaze scanned the night sky. Millions of stars dotted the cloudless sky and she wondered if Michael spent much time watching the stars and wondering where he came from.

Michael stepped outside and shoved his change in his pocket before crossing the parking lot, ready to get back on the road. His steps slowed as he approached the car and he felt his pulse speed up when she shifted and her jacket slid several inches down her arms. The heavier material pulled at the shirt she wore, exposing part of her shoulder to his hungry gaze.

He placed his drink on top of the car and moved up next to her, bracing his right hand on the hood next to her hip as he leaned down to brush his lips against the bare skin of her shoulder.

Maria shivered when his lips ghosted over her skin and shifted to give him better access. He growled low in his throat when she turned towards him and her hands settled at his waist. Her left hand slid under his shirt at the same time her right hand curled around the nape of his neck. With just the slightest bit of pressure she redirected his attention and took control of the kiss.

Michael hadn't expected her to take the lead but he quickly got with the program and let his hands do some wandering of their own. Her soft skin was such a contrast to the rougher skin of his palm and when his fingertips brushed against the edge of her bra his heart started to pound. His fingers paused for the space of a few seconds before his overloaded senses registered the fact that Maria was pressing up against him, urging him to continue.

The realization that she wanted him to take their make-out session up a step was all the encouragement he needed. He took control of the kiss, deepening it as he finally dared to move into previously uncharted territory.

"Hey, you kids wanna move it along?"

The voice was completely out of place and didn't belong anywhere in a moment Michael felt like he had been waiting for his entire life. The bright beam of light that hit him right in the eyes as soon as he turned his head startled him, but when an unfamiliar hand landed on his left shoulder his right hand flexed in anticipation of a fight.

Maria had barely had time to take into account the fact that someone had interrupted them when she felt Michael tense up. She saw the cop reach out and place a hand on his shoulder at the same moment that his hand flexed against her hip. She knew with the light practically blinding him he couldn't see who had ruined the moment and she quickly grabbed his wrist, tightening her hand around it in warning.

"We were just about to leave, Officer," Maria spoke up.

"Um-hmm." He didn't sound convinced.

Michael blinked when the light was suddenly lowered and he was forced to rely on Maria's judgment since all he could see were the spots dancing in front of his eyes. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand, trusting her to let him know if they were in danger or being threatened in any way.

"Don't let me catch you loitering around here when I get back," the cop warned as he walked towards the convenience store.

"I can't stand cops like that," Maria huffed in annoyance. "Give 'em a gun and a badge and they think they've got a right to hassle everybody." She slid down off of the hood to stand in front of Michael. "You okay?" she asked, wondering at his silence.

"I'm fine." His gaze dropped down to her hand where it was still wrapped around his wrist and he shook his head.

Maria watched his eyes and when he glanced back at the convenience store she knew where his thoughts were. "Michael, you didn't do anything and he doesn't suspect anything."

"No, I guess not." But he couldn't help wondering if he would've caught himself in time if she hadn't stopped him.

"Hey, let's get back on the road," she suggested, nudging him. "And you can tell me how you got that scar under your ribs."

Michael jumped back when her fingertips brushed against the old scar unexpectedly, her touch on his bare skin effectively distracting him. "I'll drive," he muttered, pulling her key ring out of his pocket.

Maria just rolled her eyes and walked around to the passengers' side. She had forgotten that he still had her keys because he had taken them when she had first arrived at his house and she had been using the spare she kept for emergencies. "Seriously, Michael, tell me how you got the scar," she insisted when he pulled back out onto the highway.

"I got it in a dirt bike accident when I was fourteen. Colt and Yancey bought a couple of 'em when they were in high school and they'd take 'em out in the desert on the weekends and spend the whole day out there ridin' and goofin' off. I was allowed to go with 'em but I wasn't allowed to ride the bikes."

"Why do I have a feeling that it didn't take long before you disregarded that rule?"

Michael laughed quietly. "Probably because you're getting to know me pretty well. It happened on a weekend when the whole family was together; Shadow and me decided to sneak off while everyone was occupied with lunch and we took the bikes out for a very short, very painful ride. Neither one of us knew what we were doing so we ended up crashin' into each other, messin' the bikes up, and earnin' a few interesting scars."

Maria winced. _That didn't sound like a fun story; he must have been injured pretty seriously to have such a scar. Had his parents taken him to the hospital? Was it even safe for them to go to one?_ She didn't know, but considering his alien status she could only imagine that it wouldn't have been safe to do that. "How badly were you guys hurt?"

Michael hurried to answer when he heard her worried tone. "Not that bad, although it hurt like hell at the time. Shadow broke his collarbone and I got cut up pretty good when my side collided with the other bike, which is where I got the scar."

_Hmmm. Maria would be willing to bet her entire savings account that Michael's mother had thrown a fit and she had probably kept him under close surveillance after that. His mother had probably been a major mother hen while he was injured._ "How much trouble did you get into?"

"I was grounded for a month and our parents made us work all summer to earn the money to pay for the repairs to the bikes."

"I have a feeling that didn't stop you from learning to ride," Maria commented sarcastically.

Michael's smirk returned in full force at her remark. _Yeah, as if he would stop doing something he really liked to do because someone told him he couldn't do it. He loved his mother, but she was way too protective of him. _"Huh-uh, all that did was make me wanna do it again. I think Dad understood because he talked Mom into letting Colt and Yancey teach me how to ride. I wanna get a motorcycle but I've got a feelin' Mom's gonna have a fit if I ever get my hands on one."

"I can imagine."

Michael turned his head to glance at Maria when she shifted around restlessly. "You okay?"

She groaned. She could easily eat an entire pie right now and she was going to get cranky if she didn't get something to eat soon. "I just really wanted something to snack on."

"You're a bottomless pit," he mumbled. "There's some stuff in my bag, but I doubt there's any chocolate left." He shook his head when she reached into the back and pulled his bag between the seats, settling it in her lap as she unzipped it. "Does your mom know how much junk food you put away when she's not around?" He blinked when she turned the overhead light on.

"Does yours?" Maria countered, eyebrows lifting as she counted eight of the crème-filled sponge cakes he favored. She shoved a pair of jeans to one side and ran her hand over the bottom of the bag, hoping to find a few chocolates that had been overlooked. "Look, I love my mom and I appreciate her concern for my health, but I can't survive without chocolate and my other junk food."

"So, your mom's a health food freak too?"

"God, yes!" Maria rolled her eyes. "She makes me eat all this healthy food at home and then she makes all these absolutely decadent pies and cakes that she won't let me eat. It's completely unfair."

"Then why make 'em?" he asked, bewildered.

"Because she sells them to the restaurants in town. Money's tight, y'know? And it's not like my father ever sent money to help pay for education or other little useful things, like, I don't know… FOOD AND CLOTHES!" Her angry voice rose on the last few words, momentarily showing just how hurt she was that her father hadn't even helped to pay for things like the basic necessities, like any responsible parent would do.

Michael grimaced. _God, that must really be a sore subject for Maria; knowing that her father didn't even care for her enough to help care for her financially, that he had walked away and turned his back on his role as her father._ He wisely decided to redirect the conversation, to pull Maria back from the dark, depressed mood she was going to slip into if he asked more about her absent and uninvolved father. "Uh-huh, including the one you work for?"

Maria glanced up from her search when he reached into the bag and removed one of the cakes. "What is your point?"

"My point is that I doubt you're suffering from a lack of junk food."

She couldn't decide whether or not she had just been insulted. "Did you just call me fat?"

"What?" Michael glanced at her. "What're you talkin' about?" _How on earth had she made that leap? Had he ever insinuated that she was fat? No! All he was saying was that she wasn't suffering from a lack of accessibility to junk food._ He rolled his eyes. _Women! A guy says one word about food and they immediately focus on some weird equation only they knew about. Somehow food equaled weight, which then equaled fat, and bam! A fight was suddenly in play and the guy had no idea what he had said wrong!_

"You just said I'm probably not suffering from a lack of junk food." She stared at him as he used his left knee to keep the steering wheel in place while he opened the wrapper and shook Tabasco sauce into it before taking a bite of the cake. "Do you have any idea how disgusting that is?"

"First, I wasn't callin' you fat, I was simply stating the obvious; you like junk food and you work in a place where it's easily accessible. And second," he sprinkled more hot sauce on the cake and held it out in her direction. "Don't knock it till you've tried it." He waved it under her nose. "Go ahead, I dare you."

"You're daring me?"

"Wimp."

"_Wimp?_" she repeated incredulously. _She was driving through the desert, practically in the middle of the night, to chase a UFO sighting in some ancient ruins with an alien, and he was calling her a wimp?_ _Well, she'd just show him how wrong he was!_ She snatched the cake from his fingers and took a big bite out of it. The moment the contrasting flavors assaulted her taste buds she regretted her impulsive decision to call his bluff.

Michael took the last of the cake from her, certain she wouldn't be interested in taking another bite. Judging from her expression he wasn't in any danger of having to fight with her over his favored snack.

"That is disgusting," she fussed as she reached for the soda in the cup holder.

"You don't wanna – "

"Maybe you can keep your suggestions to yourself for a while." She took a long drink from the can and nearly choked when it burned a trail of fire along her esophagus. It wasn't until she placed the can back in the cup holder that she realized she hadn't switched their drinks when they had changed places so Michael could drive, and she had just taken a drink of his soda.

Michael smirked as he twisted the cap off of the drink in his hand and held it out to her. "Here, take a drink of this." He shook his head when she glared at him. "It's the one I just bought; I haven't mixed anything in it yet."

She debated her options and finally just accepted the bottle he was offering. "How can you drink soda with hot sauce in it?" she asked once the fire in her throat had been put out.

"The same way you drink it without, I guess."

"Well, it doesn't look like we'll ever have to worry about fighting over drinks or snacks."

"Must be a relief for you," Michael teased as he reached out to run his fingers through her hair, playing with it.

Maria slapped his hand away and turned off the overhead light before leaning back in her seat to stare out through her window. "I hope you enjoyed yourself back at the gas station because if you're gonna keep insinuating that I'm overweight then you went about as far as you're gonna go at that last stop." _Yeah, who was she kidding?_

"Uh-huh," he said, unconvinced. "I might believe that threat if you hadn't been just as into it as I was."

"You sound…" She searched for the right word. "Surprised."

"I guess maybe on some level I am." He shrugged. "I've never… well, y'know…" He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. "It's not like I've ever been in a position where the girl really knew anything about me, and since I know that I'm not biologically human despite appearances…" _Crap, he was not explaining this well!_

"Meaning you've never had sex because you don't know what might happen." Maria turned to lean back against the door to look at him. She wondered what thoughts must have crossed his mind while he was growing up. _Had he thought that he'd be alone for the rest of his life, worried that it was too dangerous for him to be with a human girl? That must have been so depressing for him;_ she had to ease his mind on that subject. "You're alien, you've probably got some biological differences, and while you're probably not gonna admit it at this point you've never trusted anyone enough to get that far."

"Well, obviously trust is an issue," he snapped. "Since I have no way of knowin' how havin' sex would affect me or you. What if we're not… compatible? We have no way of knowin' what could happen until we actually do it; that's a pretty big risk to take and…" He glanced at her when she chuckled. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just that you went from talking about sex with a hypothetical girl to suddenly talking about us having sex and how it could potentially affect us. I'm no biology major or anything, but generally there has to be an exchange of bodily fluids for anything to be transmitted – "

"I don't have any alien STD's," he snarled defensively.

_God, he could be so… so, angry and defensive sometimes! _She wasn't going to fall into the same trap and engage in a fight over such an important matter. "I wasn't implying that you do. What I'm saying is nothing weird happened when we kissed; obviously having sex is more serious and there are risks involved, but that's why condoms were invented." She reached for his right hand and massaged the pressure points when she felt the tension in him. "When we reach that point in our relationship we'll take the necessary precautions to protect both of us."

"Why aren't you uncomfortable talkin' about this?" Michael asked. _Sometimes he just didn't get her, she was so friggin' strange. But, on the other hand, that strangeness was exactly what attracted him; she was unique._ He felt like that most of the time and he was happy to have found someone who could match him in originality. And he liked that he didn't have all the answers when it came to her. Mysteries were much more intriguing and fascinating to him.

"Should I be?"

Maria's question brought him back to reality. "Most girls wouldn't be comfortable with this discussion."

_Uh-oh, time to remind Michael who he was with._ Maria didn't consider herself as being one of those so-called normal girls. Maybe it was due to her parents, her education, or her genes, but she had always known that she wasn't the kind of girl who could be put in a mould. "I'm not most girls, and you've met my mother."

"So?" _What did that have to do with anything?_

"Remember me telling you that she's involved in all kinds of causes and she used to take me with her all the time?" She went on when he nodded. "There is no subject that my mom or her friends feel is taboo and they think it's important for any woman to be well-informed so she can make the best choices for herself. Sex is natural and healthy – and it's also a lot of fun – but at the same time people need to realize that it isn't something that should be treated lightly. It's a big responsibility and you have to take your health as well as your partner's health into account. My mom and her friends have been very helpful and informative; they never encouraged me to run out and have sex, but they made sure I was armed with as much information as possible so that when the time comes I'll know what to do and how to do it. How many girls do you know who can say they've been raised with the understanding that sex is fun, who actually knows pretty much everything there is to know, and who can discuss it freely at home, all while still being a virgin?"

_She was a virgin too… but not a passive one! When the time presented itself she wasn't going to just passively wait for him to do what he wanted to do, she was going to be an active participant. _He had a feeling she was going to be teaching him a thing or two about sex when their relationship moved to that level. Feeling hot all of the sudden, he turned the heat off and rolled his window down a couple of inches to help him cool off. "So, you spent a lot of time with your mom and her friends when you were growin' up?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.

Maria smiled when he shifted in his seat, uncomfortable for a completely different reason now. "Um-hmm. Sit-ins, protests, rallies… she pretty much does it all; I don't even know how many times she's been arrested or fined for participating in her causes."

When she mentioned protests he remembered what his grandfather had told him. How weird, that in a way, he had known Maria before she was even born. "Y'know, that reminds me; my grandfather met your mom when she was pregnant with you. Yeah, he said that he met her when she was protesting the government's intentions to drill for oil on a Rez up in Oklahoma."

Maria laughed. Yeah, her mother wouldn't let her pregnancy stop her from protesting. In fact, she probably thought that she was training her unborn child that way. "That sounds like my mom. We spent a summer in San Francisco six or seven years ago and participated in one of the gay pride parades. One of my mom's best friends is an English woman who lives out there with her partner and they called to see if she'd be interested in being involved with the parade so we stayed there for most of the summer. Have you ever been to San Francisco?"

"Huh-uh."

"Oh, we've gotta go sometime; you'd love it, Michael. The city just has this great atmosphere and it's such an amazing place for artists of any kind. My mom's friend, the English one, she's an architect and her partner's an interior designer. Marion, that's her name, she pays a fortune to have this ice cream imported from where she's from; it's really good but you can't get it here…" Maria's eyes widened as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Oh, my God! Magnum… ice cream… the gay pride parade!" She tugged on his hand excitedly. "That's it!"

Michael whipped his head around to look at her at the same time his left hand jerked the steering wheel, shocked that she was associating his nickname with anything gay. "What the hell are you talkin' about?" he demanded as he straightened the car up.

"Magnum, it's an ice cream! It's the kind that Marion has imported from back home and the first time I had it was when we were there for the parade!"

"That's not where the nickname came from," he insisted. _No way was he going to let her link his nickname with a gay parade. He was going to let her know that in no uncertain terms. Huh-uh, he was the perfect example of the all-American, heterosexual male!_

Maria snickered at his offended tone. "So, no association whatsoever with an ice cream brand?"

"None."

"Okay, I'll keep working on it then. Speaking of names, where'd your last name come from? Guerin isn't a Native American name."

"No, it's not. I looked it up once to see if it had any significance." He shrugged as if he didn't care one way or the other. "According to the Internet, the origin could be French, Irish, or Welsh and it means to watch or to guard, but I don't think the people at social services really chose it for its meaning. I think it was probably just the next name on the list to give the next kid who came in without a name."

"And your first name?"

"My mom gave me my first name; she said it's the name of some patron saint for warriors and soldiers."

"That's interesting," Maria mused.

"Why's that interesting?"

"Both your first and last names are related to guarding or protecting; I think your name suits you." She paused, thinking. "So, if you never took your parents' last name, does that mean you weren't officially adopted?"

"My parents never pushed for it." He shrugged. "They were content with simply getting custody of me at that time. My mom was worried that if they petitioned the court for legal adoption they would've been denied; my parents weren't well-off at that point, they were struggling to pay the bills and tryin' to get the ranch operational, Maggie was sick a lot because of her asthma, and it's doubtful that they would've allowed a Native American couple to adopt a White kid anyway. Plus Social Services would've had to carry out an investigation and if they looked too deep into my past they'd discover that I'd never been sick a day in my life and it might've thrown up a red flag and they would've started to run tests and realized I'm not human." He glanced at the green sign by the highway, the white, reflective letters and numbers letting travelers know they were still forty miles from Aztec. "My parents have always told me that they never needed a piece of paper from anyone tellin' them that I was their son, they say I was theirs from the first moment I entered their lives. River Dog says that if I wasn't supposed to have been their son the Spirits wouldn't have guided him to me that day in the desert."

"What do you think?"

"I think I got lucky."

Talking with Maria about his parents, thinking about Maria's pain and anger at her father's abandonment, Michael realized more than ever just how lucky he had been to have been found by River Dog, to have been raised by his family, and most of all, to be loved and wanted. If only he had all of his answers, his life would be perfect. Maybe this trip would provide the elusive answers he had been searching for so long.

He turned his head to look at her. Maria DeLuca was one hell of a girl. He let his thoughts wander back to their 'name game' and he mused over several choices before settling on one. _Maria Desdemona DeLuca? Hmm, it was weird._ He shrugged and tried it anyway.

"Desdemona?" he asked.

Maria threw a surprised glance at him, not understanding his question. "What?"

"Desdemona – is that your middle name?"

Maria burst out laughing. _Where on earth had he found that atrocious name?_ She shook her head, letting him know that it wasn't her middle name. She was so busy laughing that she didn't notice the relieved expression on his face.

_Whew! _Michael really didn't want his girlfriend to have a middle name like Desdemona!

A comfortable silence fell over them as they each became lost in their own thoughts; the only sound in the car was the music playing quietly in the background.


	57. Chapter 56

**Part 56**

Michael glanced at Maria when she started singing along with the song on the radio, her head leaning back against the headrest and her eyes closed. _He had learned so much about her since his discussion with Eddie_, he thought, recalling the conversation where the other man had told him how important it was to find things they had in common. He loved that he never knew what to expect from her; from what she was going to wear, to what she was going to say next, or what her crazy brain was going to come up with next. He knew life would never be dull or boring with her around. She challenged him, she didn't back down from him or anyone else, she understood him so well that at times it was almost uncomfortable, she hadn't been scared off by his bad attitude or his bad moods, and she wasn't afraid to make love with him even though he was an alien.

His mind wandered back to the night she had come over to his house for dinner so his parents could meet her and his mother could question her. She had handled it well despite the fact that his mother had probably asked some pretty embarrassing questions. Maria had never really elaborated on their conversation and he had never asked about it, but he was sure it had been uncomfortable for her.

"Hey, Maria?"

She stopped singing and turned her head to look at him. "Um-hmm."

"You remember comin' out to my house for dinner?"

"For your mom's interrogation? Sure, it'd be kinda hard to forget that."

"Yeah, right."

"Don't worry, it'll be your turn one of these days."

"Huh?" _Wait… what? He had to meet her mother officially? What for? He already knew Amy._

"Well, my mom's eventually gonna wanna spend some time with you; get to know you better, demand an explanation about your plans for the future, threaten to castrate you if you even so much as think of having sex with her baby girl… stuff like that." Her smile was positively evil and it didn't help that her features were lit by the green lights from the dashboard.

"Well, there's somethin' to look forward to," he grumbled.

"What about that night?"

Maria's question brought him back to what he wanted to ask her. "You remember me askin' you to pose for me?"

"Yeah, I told my mom about that. She's certain that asking me to pose for you is just a way to get me out of my clothes." She smirked when he stared at her for several long seconds. "I assured her that wasn't the case," she said, reaching out to grasp his chin and turn his head so he was facing the windshield once more. "I'm not sure she believed me, but I didn't tell her so she could give me her permission."

"You tell her everything?"

"I tell her everything, but I don't include all the details. My mom and I have a good relationship and I don't ever want to jeopardize that so I try to be as honest as possible with her about things."

"Uh-huh." He reached up to scratch his eyebrow with his thumb. "So, have you given it any consideration? Lettin' me photograph you?"

Maria smiled at his question. When he had originally asked her to pose for him she hadn't committed to anything beyond considering it and she had never gotten back to him with an answer. At the time she hadn't been certain that he was really serious about it, but she could hear the sincerity in his voice as he asked once more. "Yeah, I've thought about it."

"And?" _Why was she draggin' this out?_ he wondered, exasperated. It was a simple question, which required a simple answer… yes or no.

Maria smiled at his impatient tone; patience just wasn't one of Michael's virtues. "Yes, I'll pose for you. Just remember, you promised it wouldn't be anything indecent," she said, poking his shoulder.

"It'll be perfectly respectable," he promised. "Hey, hand me the notebook in my bag."

"Please," Maria reminded him as she pulled the requested item out and handed it to him.

"Please what?" he asked, taking it and turning on the overhead light. "You don't gotta stop again do you?"

Maria shook her head. Typical. He didn't get it. Maybe the guy was lacking that little gene that carried things like polite behavior. Then again, most human guys seemed to be lacking that gene too. Maybe it was just a guy thing and something that Michael, an alien, had in common with them. Some things were apparently universal. "Nevermind."

"If you need to stop let me know soon because we're almost at the ruins and once we get there you've only got two options… and neither of them is an actual restroom." He laughed at the look of disgust on her face before dividing his attention between reading his notes and watching the road ahead.

Maria sat up straighter and rolled the window down to better see the side of the road. "Oh, my God! There's snow on the ground!"

Michael rolled his eyes. "You've never seen snow before?"

Maria hesitated before answering. "Well, yeah, but… don't you think it's cool?" She felt bad for lying to him; she had never really seen snow apart from TV or in pictures. She didn't want to look like a provincial to him. She had traveled with her mother, had seen incredible landscapes, lived moments that were simply out of this world, but she had just never seen actual snow.

"Yeah, it's cool," he muttered, squinting to see through the windshield. He slowed the car as he closely watched the road, looking for the turn-off he had indicated in his notes.

"What're we doing?"

"We're takin' a back way in so we won't be seen goin' into the ruins, remember?"

Nearly half an hour later they pulled into a trailer park and drove along the small streets, parking at the far end of the residential area. Maria looked around with interest; this trailer park was maintained much better than the one in Roswell. "Why're we parking back here?"

"See that fence over there?" He nodded at a tall, chain-link fence that bordered one side of the trailer park. "The ruins are on the other side."

"How far do you think we'll need to hike?"

Michael looked up from the GPS unit he was programming and shrugged. "About a mile, maybe a mile and a half. You're okay with that, right?"

"Yeah, I'm good," she answered, opening her door when he climbed out on his side. _Oh, yeah, she just loved hiking in the middle of nowhere. She had nearly failed P.E. her sophomore year for a reason!_

He took two heavy duty flashlights out of his bag and offered one to her. "Don't turn it on yet; wait until we reach the ruins."

They locked the doors and crept along the fence, Michael tugging on the fence every few feet. When he found a section that had been cut he pulled it away from the pole and nodded in satisfaction.

"Isn't it kinda deserted around here?" Maria asked, her gaze scanning over the mostly darkened trailers. "There aren't very many lights on."

"No," Michael said absently as he lifted the section of fence and motioned for her to climb through. "It's Friday night; most people are probably at the local high school football game."

"Why don't you go out for any sports, Michael?" With his physique he could be a football player, a soccer player, or practice any kind of sport. She would bet that coaches at his high school had tried to get him to join the teams they coached.

He climbed through the opening behind her and carefully lowered the section back into place so no one would notice that it was out of place. "Not really my thing," he answered absently. "Why?"

"I was just wondering. Your dad and I were talking about it last weekend." She shrugged. "He said you're a lot more athletic than he ever was."

"Yeah, Dad's not really… athletic. He competes at some of the local rodeos and he's really good at that, but put a football or a baseball in his hands and it's a completely different story." He chuckled and led the way through the snow-dusted desert, his eyes alternating between scanning the ground in front of him and watching the GPS in his right hand.

"I'm not that great at sports either, apart from judo. Well, not that I was a champion or anything. My poor instructor," she laughed, remembering the hard times she had given the man because she wasn't that motivated or because she hadn't succeeded in learning the moves. "What's your dad do in the rodeo?" Maria followed along behind him, wondering how long it was going to take to hike a mile and a half. At the rate Michael was going she was going to drop dead before they ever reached the ruins.

Michael heard her breathing take on a labored quality and he deliberately slowed his pace, pausing for a few minutes under the guise of checking the unit and looking around.

"What're you doing?" Maria asked, leaning over to catch her breath.

"Makin' a mental map of the area. I like to remember the landmarks so we don't run the risk of getting lost if we get chased out."

Maria straightened up and stared at him. "Chased out? By cops?" Despite knowing that there might be security people outside of the ruins, she hadn't considered that possibility because they were going in the back way. _What would she do if she were arrested with Michael in the middle of the night? His parents would have a heart attack and Michael wouldn't see the light of day for weeks, his mother would make sure of that. Her mother, on the other hand, would be proud that her daughter had been thrown in jail for the first time. It would be like a rite of passage in Amy's mind, especially if Maria invented a story about wanting to explore a sacred Native American site which was being used as a tourist attraction, showing no respect for a burial site. She would defend her daughter's right to fight for what she believed in._

He waved his free hand, dismissing her concern. "Don't worry about it. It doesn't happen that often and chances are good that since we're goin' in the back way and we're gonna be searchin' the East ruins no one'll even notice we're here. Hopefully, no one else'll be there either." He glanced at Maria, trying to read her expression. "I won't let anything happen to you."

She controlled the smile that wanted to surface when she heard his gruff declaration. "I have no doubts about that."

"Yeah… well, anyway, c'mon, we've gotta get goin'."

Maria smiled and picked up the pace, staying close behind him as they covered a lot of distance in a reasonably short amount of time. When they finally reached the ruins, she paused in awe, her eyes tracing over the moonlit structures. Snow dusted the stones and covered the ground in large patches and the wind blew through the ruins, whistling between the openings in the different buildings.

"Michael, this is amazing," she breathed, turning her head to look at him. His attention was focused on the small navigational unit he held as he slowly shifted and glanced around the area. She moved closer to him and leaned against his shoulder as she tried to see what he was doing.

"We need to go north," he said, glancing at her. "The sites had the latitude and longitude of the location of the sighting and other than a couple of degrees difference they all pinpointed the same general area." He motioned for her to follow him as he took off towards some of the taller buildings, his long stride quickly taking him across the uneven ground.

She hurried to follow him, ducking through a doorway right behind him and pausing to turn around and look at it. The door barely reached five feet in height but the interior was large and roomy. She switched her flashlight on and swept the beam over the walls, trying to watch Michael and study her surroundings at the same time. She went after him when he moved to another room, stopping to look at bits and pieces of pottery shards left untouched on the ground.

There was an atmosphere surrounding the ruins, a feeling that permeated the very air that hadn't been disturbed by humans in possibly decades. It was so powerful that she had to pause to catch her breath. Something strange was going on here, she could feel it. She stopped walking and listened to the silence. There wasn't a sound, except for Michael's footsteps and the wind blowing through the rooms, but she felt the strangest sensation, as if her nerves were being tickled by feathers. It wasn't unpleasant or scary, it was just an odd feeling. If there really were spirits there, they weren't dangerous or angry ones. She wondered about the people who had lived there, curious about where they had gone and why they had left their home. It almost felt like the essence of the people had remained behind and she aimed the flashlight at the place where she had last seen Michael. He had moved again while she was looking around and she hurried to catch up with him. She found him a few minutes later, after passing through multiple rooms.

"Michael?"

"Um-hmm…" His tone was distracted as he moved around erratically, running his hands over the crumbling walls.

"Is there a burial ground here?" Maria asked, still caught up in the vibrations she could feel emanating from the room.

"Uh, if I remember correctly they buried their dead inside the walls and floors of these buildings."

Maria was slightly troubled by Michael's answer. _Was that what she was feeling, dead people trying to communicate with her? _She hadn't been especially interested in that branch of the paranormal realm but she had to admit that the ruins gave off powerful vibes. It was so tangible that it made her light-headed. "Really?"

Her intrigued tone caught his attention and he lowered the GPS navigator to look at her. "That doesn't creep you out?"

"No, it probably explains the vibes I've been picking up since we entered the ruins."

"The vibes?" he mocked. "From who? The people buried here?" He snorted derisively and went back to checking the area. He stopped after a few minutes, pretending to study something. "Hey, Maria, check this out."

"What is it?"

He held the flashlight up to his chin and whirled around to face her. "I see dead people," he whispered hoarsely.

She shoved his shoulder, angry that he was making fun of her. "You're an alien, are you seriously telling me that you haven't felt anything weird since we've been here?" She shook her head in annoyance. "People have died here, are buried here, and you can't pick up on any of it?" _Why was he making fun of her? Had she called him a liar when he had told her about being an alien? She had been remarkably open-minded when he had revealed that little earth-shattering truth, so why couldn't he of all people, believe in spirits or ghosts? Or, to put it more simply, why couldn't he believe in her and what she was feeling about this place?_

Michael turned to look closely at Maria. _Crap, she was being serious! She really believed that there were spirits in the ruins. Could she be influenced by the isolation of the place? Or, was she really feeling vibes from the place, as she had suggested? _He forced himself to stand still in the center of the room, arms relaxed at his sides as he opened his mind up to his surroundings. He had been so focused on the sighting that he had closed his senses off to anything else. He brought his breathing under control and closed his eyes, leaving himself open to the vibes Maria had described. After a few minutes he shook himself and looked at her again. "Okay, yes, I can pick up on the vibes."

"Really? Like what?"

He frowned as he searched for the words. "Fear, anger, loneliness… this room is at the center of the East ruins." He scanned the floor, sweeping the light over it. "There's a room that was hidden below the floor, where they hid the children when they were in danger or threatened." He shook his head. "There's no way to check the hiding place out though because it was filled in years ago."

"Oh, my God, you can sense all that?" Maria was so impressed with Michael's gifts. _How did he do that?_ Within a few seconds he had been able to focus his energy on the ruins, and he had picked up on the feelings of the people who had lived there on such a deep level. It was amazing, and she looked at him with new respect.

Michael couldn't help but feel flattered by the awe in Maria's expression. His family was used to his powers and they had taught him to use them, but they weren't impressed with them because his abilities were just part of who he was. But Maria was looking at him with such admiration! This was obviously a power that she felt was out of this world. She hadn't reacted this strongly when he had showed her his levitation and telekinetic abilities. Maybe it was because this time it involved dead people; the fact that he could establish a link with human beings who had lived hundreds of years before. "Yeah, if I concentrate hard enough sometimes I can get flashes of things that have happened."

Maria studied his expression. "You saw something else though… what?"

"Just some scattered scenes. It looked like maybe a raid by nearby settlers. They found the hidin' place and one of the Natives was killed trying to keep the invaders from findin' the kids."

Maria felt his words like a punch in the stomach. _He could see things from the past? What, Michael was like a… a… God, he was like a time travel machine! His gifts allowed him to be the privileged witness to events that had happened centuries before! That was… Holy guacamole! That was an amazing power! Did he even realize what a wonderful gift he had?_ Wow, and you could actually see that?"

"Yeah. Sometimes I get the flashes by touchin' things and sometimes it's just brought on by a feelin' or a…" he grinned, "vibe."

Maria was amazed by his ability. She had just felt something, picked up a vibe from the ruins, but Michael could pick up on so much more than that just by concentrating or touching things. Her mind raced with the possibilities. _If Michael went to Stonehenge, he could see why the monument was built. Or he could solve some of the most famous mysteries just by touching objects. If he could touch Oswald's rifle, could he tell what had really happened that day in Dallas? Or, was Anna Anderson really the real princess Anastasia who had escaped the communists who had slaughtered the Russian imperial family in 1918?_ She had to stop thinking about all of the unsolved mysteries that her mind was feverishly cataloguing and come back down to earth. "You seemed to space out there for a minute or two, is that normal?"

Michael nodded. "Yeah, it's just part of the process I guess." He watched her as she moved around the room, scanning the floor, and wondered how she'd had such strong feelings about the place; he was an alien and he hadn't felt anything until he had made himself focus and he had gotten the flash. "Did you really get a feelin' about this place?" he asked curiously. "Or were you just scared?"

"Are you kidding? Michael, this place is absolutely breathtaking, and I'm with my very own Spaceboy who just happens to have…" she smiled teasingly, "secret powers and he can protect me, so I'm not afraid of anything. I just felt something when we were walking around, like something strange or bad had happened here." She motioned to the GPS navigator he held, realizing that he hadn't made his big discovery yet. "You haven't found anything yet?"

"Just gotta find the right place. They must've been off by a few degrees on the sites." He lifted his right hand and the beam from the flashlight danced across the walls. "I'm gonna go outside and see if maybe I can pick something up out there."

"Okay. You want me to give you a few minutes?"

Michael quickly covered up his surprise and nodded. "Give me five minutes?" He pointed at the doorway behind him. "I'm just gonna go through here; it leads straight outside." He walked out of the room when she motioned for him to go on, hurrying out into the cold night air.

He leaned up against a wall staring at the stars above, lost in thought. As an alien he had always been conscious of his abilities, whether it was telekinesis, psychogenesis, or his ability to see the past and/or future by touching things or being affected by his surroundings. He had always associated his powers with being an alien. He knew, of course, that being raised by Native Americans could have also influenced him; they were a very spiritual people, believing in spirits and the paranormal. But he had never believed that White people had such gifts. From everything he had seen on TV or the Internet people who claimed to have them used their so-called 'gifts' to exploit others, taking advantage of their misery or misfortune, using it to get money, or to spend their fifteen minutes of fame in front of a camera.

But that wasn't the case with Maria; she had felt something as soon as they had entered the ruins while his heightened senses hadn't picked up on anything. Was it a natural talent that had allowed her to sense things or had it simply been an unexpected, accidental occurrence? _He would have to discuss it with her later_, he decided. He wouldn't be surprised to find out she had a way with the spiritual world. Not just because she had been raised by a hippie who was open to all kinds of New Age stuff, but because of Maria herself.

He had always been a loner, never interested in girls at school who were too boring for his liking, or too selfish, too assured of their importance and their sex appeal. But he had been drawn to Maria from the moment he had first seen her, before he had ever spoken to her or even known her name. If she could pick up vibes, then chances were she could send them too. Was that what had pushed him to cross the distance separating them and taking a risk by speaking to her that day? The feeling that she was different, strange, just like him?

Now that he knew her, he could see the differences between them. Where she was loving and charming, he was a bear who on his best days ignored people and on his worst he snarled at them. Where she was open and colorful, he was closed off and dark. She was trusting and he was wary. But it was those specific differences that had made him fall for her. She was like a light in his complicated and, at times, terrifying life. Being an alien lost on Earth wasn't easy, not even when he had the best family he could have ever hoped for. As soon as he had reached his teenage years he had started to believe that he was meant to be alone; the fact was that he had been born on another planet, that he had alien blood and DNA, and that everyone close to him could be exposed to kidnapping, torture, or they could be used to get to him.

He was too intense, too complex, too mean sometimes, and he had never expected any girl to accept him, but Maria had. She wasn't put off by his explosive temper, she wasn't afraid of him, and she didn't run away or give up on him when he had fits, or episodes, as his Aunt Skye called them, when he would take off and spend hours at a time in the desert just to get away from everyone.

Maria wasn't afraid to fight with him and she didn't let him get away with stuff that others did just because he had an overwhelming presence and personality. He knew from what his sister, his cousins, and Eddie had told him, that he had a tendency to boss people around, to behave as if everyone was supposed to obey him and not question him, as if it was natural for people to bow in front of him, but Maria didn't let him do that with her. She also didn't see him as some kind of monster just because he was an alien and she didn't expect him to cave and give in to her just to smooth things over. She was his equal.

Maggie would say that Maria was the yin to his yang. He smiled as he thought about his little sister, but before long he came back to his senses. Yes, he was intrigued by Maria because he never knew what to expect from her; what she would wear or say, how she would act, or even what she would do. She was important and things were great between them, but he had things to do, answers to find, and he couldn't let himself get too caught up in a relationship with a girl, not even if that girl was Maria. He had to get things under control and go back to his priorities. He couldn't risk losing his dream of finding out who he was, and why he had been dumped in the desert like garbage. He had to find himself, because if he couldn't discover the truth about his past, how was he ever going to be able to live a happy and full life in the future?


	58. Chapter 57

**Part 57**

Maria looked around the interior of the room, her gaze following the beam as it swept over the walls and ceiling, amazed that something so old was still standing. It was simply fascinating how something like this had been crafted without modern-day tools or machines and she wondered where the people had gone and why they had left their home.

She turned the flashlight off for a minute, standing in the darkness and letting the silence surround her. "Rest in peace," she whispered to the room and any of its previous occupants who might still be there. After a moment she turned the flashlight back on and made her way outside to find Michael. She had left him on his own long enough; now it was time to go see what he was up to.

"Michael?"

He turned from his contemplation of the sky when Maria joined him. "Hey."

She nodded in response. "Do you know where to start looking out here?" She looked out at the ruins that surrounded them, extending as far as she could see on three sides.

"Yeah, we'll look over in that direction," he answered, pointing to the south. "I'm gonna try addin' a few degrees to the coordinates and see what happens." He shrugged. "Might make a difference, might not."

Maria followed him as he walked to a part of the ruins that were crumbling, noticing that the bricks and mortar seemed recently displaced. She stopped when he stopped and her gaze followed him when he started to pace. He hadn't found anything and she could see that he was starting to get frustrated with the situation. She thought back to conversations with his sister and mother, remembering their concern for his well-being when the sightings turned out to be nothing more than another disappointing road trip.

When he stopped pacing not far from her, facing the crumbling building nearest to them for several minutes before starting to climb it, she held her breath. His feet slipped a couple of times before he was able to find a strong foothold and he scrambled up to the top, balancing his weight as he carefully walked along the wall.

_Why wasn't he sensing anything?_ he wondered, annoyed that he hadn't found a single shred of evidence that there had been a sighting. _How was that possible? There were too many pieces of information that had been corroborated between the different sites; eyewitness accounts, the location of the sighting… Why wasn't he picking up on anything?_

"Maybe they just got the location wrong."

He tossed his flashlight to the ground to free his hands up for the climb back down. He looked down at Maria and shook his head. "It doesn't make any sense. I know I wrote the coordinates down correctly." He started to climb back down. "Maybe there's something wrong with the GPS unit." He jumped down onto a wide, flat surface that was several feet off of the ground. He bent down to place his hand flat on the rough surface, intending to use it to push himself away from the wall when he jumped down. "I don't know…"

Maria looked up when he trailed off and frowned when she realized he was crouching on top of part of the wall, unmoving. "Michael?"

Michael froze when he felt the familiar sensation that always accompanied the flashes and he was seeing the scene almost as if he had been there. There was always a muted, slightly skewed feel to the flashes, but it was easy enough to figure out what they were telling him.

_Two teenage boys sat on part of the ruins, one of them typing furiously on the keyboard of a laptop while the other hovered over his shoulder._

"_Hey, you think anyone's really gonna buy this crap?"_

"_Are you kiddin'? You got any idea how many idiots believe in this crap?" He shook his head. "Besides, you got anything better to do in the trailer park?"_

"_Huh-uh. Just wonderin' why they're gonna believe it's real."_

"_Because I'm gonna hack the sites of a bunch of these stupid groups and post the information about the," he made air quotes, "sighting. The key is to pass the information along on a bunch of sites, including the ones that are considered unreliable." He laughed. "You have no idea how many morons are gonna buy into this."_

The flash faded into the background and anger surged to the surface, quickly blocking out every other emotion. _This was a prank,_ he realized. _Some little punk had been just looking for something to do because he was bored._

"Michael?"

"Let's go," he snarled. He jumped down and snatched his flashlight up off of the ground, angry that once again he had chased after nothing.

Maria stared after him when he stalked off, confused by his sudden change in attitude. She chased after him, following the beam of light bouncing over the uneven terrain. He was walking so fast she had to run to catch up to him. She had been warned about this side of his personality, but no one had told her how to deal with him when he was like this. _Maybe because no one knew how to deal with him when he was like this,_ she thought.

"Michael, what's the big hurry?" she asked as she caught up to him. "We can keep looking to see if there's – "

"There's nothin' to look for." He stopped suddenly and whirled around to face her. "I don't need you or your damned encouragement!"

Maria took a step back, unprepared for his hateful words. She didn't understand his anger or what had caused it, but she knew if she responded in the same manner she would never find out what had happened. "Maybe not," she countered, her tone holding a hint of irritation, "but you do need my damned car if you wanna get back home." She shoved him out of the way to get past him, leaving him to chase after her for once.

Michael stared after her in disbelief. _What did she have to get all pissy about? He was the one who had been tricked, who had fallen for a scheme concocted by a couple of bored teenagers_. He followed after her, cursing under his breath because there was nothing else he could do about her or the situation he had gotten himself into. Now he was gonna have to listen to her talk for the next six hours and she would probably try to get him to talk too. But, as she had pointed out, he needed her car unless he wanted to hitchhike back home. _Yeah, and you know how well that would go over with your mother,_ his mind taunted.

They made it back to the car in less than half the time it had taken to hike out to the ruins and they both reached for the drivers' side door at the same time.

"I'll drive."

"No way." Maria glanced down at the keys he was pulling out of his pocket and quickly snatched them out of his hand. "You're pissed off about something and you obviously don't wanna talk about it, but you're not driving while you're like this." She jerked the door open and slid in behind the wheel before looking back up at him. "Are we going or not?"

"Fine." He slammed her door shut before stomping around the front of the car and getting inside. He crossed his arms over his chest and turned to glare at her when she didn't start the car. "What?" he snapped.

"Put your seatbelt on."

"You're not my mother, Maria, so stop tellin' me what to do."

Maria clenched the steering wheel as her back teeth started to grind. She was not getting into an argument with him no matter how much he tried to provoke one. "And if we get stopped and I get a ticket because you're not wearing the stupid thing I don't wanna have to explain it to _my_ mother." She shook her head when he just slouched down further and turned his head to stare out through the windshield. "Fine," she muttered, leaning across him to grab the strap.

Michael shifted and used his shoulder to pin the seatbelt to the door. "I told you to stop tellin' me what to do; that includes beltin' me into my seat like a five-year-old."

"Then stop acting like one." She jerked on the strap until it came loose and leaned back to pull it around his body, but his hand settled over hers before she could lock it into place.

"Leave it alone," he snapped.

Maria bit back the automatic response that quickly came to mind when she saw the look in his dark eyes. His words and his tone were intended to piss her off, to start a fight, but his eyes held a deeply wounded expression, and she released her grip on the strap. She could feel the tension in him, could feel him pulling away and isolating himself from her, but she decided to back off and give him some time to process his thoughts before trying to talk to him again.

The next hour passed in silence as Michael continued to stare out into the darkness. She gave in to a yawn as she glanced at the sign beside the road for a truck stop with a twenty-four hour restaurant in the next town. She decided to stop and fill the tank and hopefully get her hands on a cup of decent coffee.

Michael barely moved when she took the exit indicated on the sign and pulled into the truck stop. She filled the tank and moved the car into a parking spot closer to the front of the café before looking over at him.

"I've gotta go in and pay for the gas and find some coffee. Why don't you come inside with me and we can get something to eat before we go any further."

He shrugged carelessly but got out of the car at her urging, following her inside and wandering around aimlessly while she paid for the gas. He didn't argue when she came after him and pulled him along with her into the diner, he simply sat in the booth she picked out and stared sightlessly at the trucks pulling in and out on the other side of the window.

Maria was worried about Michael's uncharacteristic behavior. She was used to the silent moods and the angry moods, but this was new. Something had happened at the ruins to put him in his current mood; it was almost as if a switch had been flipped because his mood before and the one he was in now were as different as night and day. When the waitress came by she ordered coffee and sandwiches but she had a feeling that he wasn't going to eat anything.

Maria sighed and glanced around the diner, listening to various bits and pieces of the conversations that buzzed about. Most of the patrons were truck drivers but there were a few others that looked like they were probably locals. She took a small sip of coffee from the steaming mug the waitress placed in front of her and turned her attention to a conversation between a couple of locals sitting at the counter behind Michael.

"Aliens?" the first man questioned, his tone disbelieving. "You're pullin' my leg, Walt."

The second man, Walt, shook his head. "Nope, I'm as serious as the day is long. Them kids went an' put this information on that what's-it-called, that innernet, and we had people comin' through here like crazy last night. Ever'body wanted to see where the alien spaceship had been seen an' they had to stop in here to get directions."

"So, they stuck this information on a computer and people believed it?"

"People believe anything that's on that innernet, Tom." He shook his head again. "Even if it's just a couple dumb kids playin' a prank."

Maria's gaze moved to Michael when he shot to his feet and stalked out of the diner. All of the pieces suddenly fell into place and she realized that he must have had a flash that showed the kids who had planned the prank. And now he probably felt foolish, angry, hurt, and betrayed. She watched him as he crossed the parking lot, paying no attention to where he was going, just walking as fast as he could.

"I had your sandwiches wrapped to go," the waitress said as she placed a sack on the table. "Your boyfriend didn't look like he was coming back."

She smiled at the older woman. "No, he's had a long day and he's tired. Do you have a hotel close by?"

"Well, we've got only got a couple and there is one close by, but they're all gonna be booked for the weekend, honey. See, there's this huge mortician's convention in town – I know it's completely morbid – and that's probably why they meet out here, in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, both of the hotels are booked solid."

_A mortician's convention? _At any other time that would have been funny."Oh. Is the next town very far away?"

"Almost an hour. The two of you look plum wore out though; we've got a sweet little bed and breakfast in town and I'm sure Miss Annie'll have a room available."

"But, the convention…?"

"Oh, no, honey, Miss Annie wouldn't let those dreadful people anywhere near her place." The waitress drew a small map on the back of a napkin and handed it to Maria. "Just tell her that Wanda from the Broken Spoke sent you and she'll take care of you."

Maria nodded. "Thank you, Wanda." After paying the tab and leaving a sizable tip – she herself was a waitress after all, and she knew that good tips were important – she made her way outside to go after Michael.

Michael stood at the edge of the large parking lot, trying to control the panic he could feel building inside of him. Anger and hurt were battling for dominance inside of him, the emotions clawing their way to the surface to escape. In the end one of the emotions was going to break free and he desperately needed it to be anger.

_What the hell had he been thinking when he had asked Maria to go with him? _He had to find a way to provoke her, otherwise that other emotion that he preferred to ignore was going to get the upper hand and that couldn't be allowed to happen.

Eddie was a guy; he understood and he always allowed Michael's anger to take whatever form was necessary to keep that other emotion buried deep inside. He ranted and Eddie listened, he argued and Eddie argued with him, and every once in a while when verbal sparring wasn't enough Eddie would allow himself to be goaded into a fistfight.

Well, a fight was obviously out of the question and he didn't feel like ranting; he wanted an argument that would take his mind off of the hurt that was working itself into an unmanageable knot in his chest. He had to stay pissed off long enough to get control of that other emotion so he could shove it as far down as he possibly could.

He didn't understand why Maria hadn't gotten into a fight with him. It was like she was deliberately trying to sabotage his plans by denying him the fight he needed so badly. She probably thought if she kept it up long enough he'd give in and start sharing his feelings. Baiting her hadn't worked so far, but maybe if he continued to be apathetic she'd finally get pissed off and start yelling at him.

"Michael?"

"What?" he snapped.

Maria refused to back down in the face of his anger and she bit her tongue to keep from responding the way he obviously wanted her to. "We're gonna stay here for the night; it's been a very long day, we're both tired, and there's no reason for us to push ourselves to make it back home tonight."

He shrugged to let her know he didn't care one way or the other as he turned his gaze back to the highway.

_Be patient,_ Maria reminded herself. She reached up to rub his back, feeling him tense up before he jerked away from her.

"I don't need pity from you," he snarled. Panic flooded his system once more when the knot in his chest got tighter and he could feel it pushing itself outward.

"You think I pity you?" She shook her head, unable to believe he thought that. "Why would I – "

"I know what you're thinkin'; dumbass alien, fallin' for a stupid prank – "

"I don't think that about you, Michael," she interrupted him hastily, not wanting him to believe that she pitied him. He would never accept or appreciate pity from anyone.

_God, he hoped she didn't think that,_ he thought. "I don't care. I don't need your reassurance either."

Maybe he didn't want reassurance, but with the emotional turmoil he was going through, he needed help and she was willing to do whatever it took to get him out of the painful abyss he had fallen into. "What do you need from me?"

He cursed silently when her soft question went right to that knot in his chest and he could feel it moving up into his throat.

For just a moment Maria thought she had reached him, that he was going to let her in, but he managed to pull himself together once more.

"I don't need anything from you." The words were cold, calculated, designed to inflict hurt, and they struck their target with precision.

_Okay, well, that was incredibly mean… and it hurt._ She swallowed with difficulty and tried her best to keep from showing him how much he had hurt her. Now wasn't the time to think about her and her feelings. Michael was in pain and he was reacting like an injured animal, striking out at anyone who dared to come close to him. He wasn't acting this way because of her or anything she had done, but because of the knowledge that he had been duped, fooled, and that he had dragged them out into the middle of nowhere to chase down another useless lead, and his hopes had once more been crushed. She took a deep breath and made her mind up about her next move. "We should get to the bed and breakfast; it's nearly midnight and I don't wanna drag this poor woman out of bed any later than necessary."

_Crap, that was cruel even for him,_ Michael thought as he settled into the car, arms crossed over his chest as he stared out into the night. _Well, he wouldn't have to worry about pissing her off now; she'd probably dump his ass just as soon as they got back home. Damn it, nothing was going right today! _He hadn't wanted to hurt Maria, he just wanted her to back off and let him deal with this on his own terms.

"I got the sandwiches to go, in case you're hungry." She sighed when he just shrugged and rested the side of his head against the cold window. She studied the napkin in her hand for several minutes before pulling out onto the service road that led into the small town.


	59. Chapter 58

**Part 58**

After a couple of wrong turns she found the old Victorian home that had been renovated and transformed into a bed and breakfast. "I'll run in and see if she's got a room available." Another apathetic shrug met her statement and she refrained from commenting any further.

The front door opened as she stepped up on the porch and she smiled at the older woman who ushered her inside.

"C'mon in before you catch pneumonia, sweetie; its cold out tonight."

"It is cold," Maria agreed, wiping her feet before crossing the threshold and entering the warm house.

"Wanda called and told me to expect you." She held her hand out. "I'm Annie by the way."

Maria shook the woman's wrinkled hand and introduced herself. "Yes, she was kind enough to tell me about your place. I hope it's not too late – "

"Too late?" Annie laughed. "I've never been one to waste much time sleeping; I figure I'll get all the sleep I need once I'm dead. Life's much too precious and way too short, sweetie." Her smile was filled with joy as she led the way to the registration area. "Now, you'll be needing one room? Or two?"

For just the briefest moment she considered asking for two rooms just so she could take a break from Michael's back and forth moods, weary of the constant switch between antagonism and apathy. "Just one," she said as she accepted a pen and began to fill out the registration card. She had to avoid a fight if she wanted him to let go and let her in. No matter how much she wanted to tell him what she really thought of his current behavior.

If he had been any other guy she would've made him sleep in the cold car for being such a jerk. _Actually_, she mused, _if it wasn't for the fact that she knew he was hurting over the newest disappointment in a long line of disappointments she would've made him sleep in the cold car too._

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed across the sky, drawing Michael out of his contemplative mood and he shook his head as rain started to fall. "Great," he muttered morosely, "the perfect ending to a perfect day."

Maria paused before signing the form, glancing at the bay window behind the older woman. "Is it raining?"

The woman snorted. "Looks like that weather forecaster finally called it right."

_Well, that probably wasn't going to improve Michael's mood one bit, _Maria thought as she signed the card and handed it over.

"Would you like me to show you the room before you go get your boyfriend?" She smiled when Maria's surprised gaze flew to her. "Small town, sweetie." She winked. "Wanda told me you had your young man with you."

"Yes, well, my young man isn't in a good mood so maybe you could show me the room and then I'll go get him."

"He's a difficult one, is he?"

"That's putting it mildly."

"The difficult ones are the most interesting though, don't you think? There's nothing like a good challenge I always say. I've been married to mine for fifty-seven years."

"What's the secret?"

Annie chuckled. "Well, with mine it's patience, lots of patience."

"And when that runs out?"

"The trick, young lady, is having your own personal space to retreat to when it becomes necessary, and make sure you have a hobby. Being stuck together 24/7 isn't the way to go when you're in such an intense relationship," the old lady assured her.

Maria pondered her words. It was good advice for a couple living together. It might even be helpful in the future because she and Michael both had very strong personalities. They were bound to clash living in close proximity. But here, tonight, they were stuck in the middle of nowhere, at night, and she had the pleasure of sharing a room with her intense boyfriend who was trying his best to goad her into a fight. Maria sighed. It was going to be a long night.

After Annie showed her the room, the bathroom at the end of the hallway, and told her that if they needed anything she shouldn't hesitate to let her know, she left the key with Maria and retired for the night. A small accent lamp on the dresser threw soft light over the room, enhancing the warmth that radiated out from the comfortable space. The room was decorated with turn of the century furniture that was well cared for, the decorations and wall hangings depicting different nature scenes. The double doors that opened out onto the balcony were draped with burgundy panels made of a thin, wispy material that matched the curtains on the windows. The carpet was an almond color and she could tell that it was thick and would feel good under her bare feet.

A handmade quilt graced the queen-sized bed and the rain tapping out a gentle rhythm on the roof and softly hitting the windows created a relaxing soundtrack. Maria looked around in satisfaction; the room had a wonderful atmosphere and it was the perfect setting for dealing with Michael and his current mood. She glanced around once more before nodding to herself and heading out to get him, hoping that he had calmed down a little while she had been inside.

Michael looked up when Maria knocked on the window and motioned for him to open the door. He huffed in irritation and opened the door. "What now?"

"I'm not enjoying this downpour," she said as she reached inside and unlocked the back door.

"Then stop standin' in the rain." He jerked forward when she elbowed him in the back of the head as she straightened up, certain that it had been intentional when she didn't offer an apology. He scowled and rubbed the back of his head when she moved away, opening the back door and grabbing their bags before shutting it once more.

"Generally when you pay for a room you sleep _inside_ the room, not in the car." She dropped his bag in his lap. "It's your choice, Michael," she said as she started back up to the house. As soon as the car door slammed, she paused, gritting her teeth and counting to ten before turning around to see if he was still in the car like she suspected. She considered just leaving him and his stubborn self to sleep in the car, but only for a moment. Once more she reminded herself that he was hurting and leaving him alone in this condition would be reprehensible; he didn't deserve that no matter how badly he was behaving. She turned and stalked back to the car, opening the door and staring at him while she waited for his irritated response.

"I've made my choice."

"You're not sleeping out here just so you can get sick and blame it on me."

"I don't get sick."

"There's always a first time, Michael." She rolled her eyes when that didn't get a response. "If you don't get out of that car and go inside I'll…"

"You'll what?" he challenged. "Call my mom?"

Maria thought about that for a minute. "Maybe I will; she'd probably be happy to come out here and pick you up." She reached for her cell phone. "You want me to call her? Or would you like to talk to her?"

Unwilling to risk having her call his mother, Michael followed her inside, throwing his bag on the bed as soon as they were in their room. He barely glanced at his surroundings as he moved around, his wary gaze locked on Maria; he didn't know what to expect from her and most of the time that was a good thing. Tonight though, that trait was the one that he didn't want to deal with. She moved around the room, gathering some things from her bag before setting both their bags on the floor by the closet.

"I'm gonna go take a shower before I go to bed." She paused by the door to look at him, wishing he would just let her in, let her help him deal with this. "You should really try to eat something, Michael. Take your coat off and relax a little bit if you can. I know it's been a long day and you don't wanna talk about it, but it wouldn't hurt if you could do those things before getting some sleep." When he ignored her and turned to face the balcony doors she decided to leave him alone with his thoughts. No matter how much she wanted him to accept her help and let her shoulder some of his burden, she knew she couldn't force him to.

Michael paced around the room as he tried in vain to think of anything other than the fears and insecurities that had finally overridden his anger and now demanded attention. They had escaped despite his best efforts to keep them contained and he didn't know how to deal with them. Even though they were always there, hiding at the back of his mind, he had never examined them very closely.

That dark voice that whispered in his subconscious from time to time had taken on Dakota's hateful voice over the past few years and normally he could control it, force it back into the little corner of his mind that held those fears and insecurities in check. But they had managed to escape, to slip through his desperate attempts to hold onto them, and they weren't going to be ignored for much longer. He opened the balcony doors and stood on the threshold, close enough to feel the cold air and the mist from the rain, but far enough back to avoid getting soaked.

The knot in his chest had expanded and moved up into his throat and the lump that was lodged there felt like it was the size of a baseball. Swallowing around it was painful and he blamed his suddenly blurry vision and the stinging sensation in his eyes on the damned lump.

_They didn't want you because you weren't worth keeping_, the voice taunted. When people on earth got lost or disappeared search parties were formed, rewards were offered, pleas were made for their safe return, and families banded together to do whatever they could to bring their loved ones home. He turned his gaze to the sky, wishing the clouds blown in by the thunderstorm weren't obscuring his view.

_Were aliens really so different? Or was it that he wasn't important enough to matter to them? Why had he been left in the middle of a hostile environment, miles from civilization, with little chance for survival? How much longer would he have survived in the desert without food and water if River Dog hadn't found him?_ He hated the questions and doubts that lurked in the shadows of his subconscious and sometimes he felt guilty for searching for a biological family who didn't want him because he knew how much it worried his family here on earth.

Even if his preferred theory was true, if he was a survivor of the '47 crash, and everyone else on board had perished, shouldn't someone from his planet have come looking for him? _Maybe no one cared enough to notice you were missing. How many times are you gonna chase these meaningless sightings before you accept that no one's looking for you? How much longer is it gonna take before you have to face the fact that no one wanted you?_

Maria paused just inside the room, quietly closing the door and locking it behind her when she noticed Michael standing inches from the falling rain. He hadn't taken his boots or his jacket off, changed clothes, eaten, or relaxed. Tension still surrounded him but it had taken another form; the anger was gone and in its place was… She studied him for several minutes before the word _despair_ came to mind.

The wind changed direction and blew cold air into the room, but Michael didn't so much as flinch. He was either completely unaware of his surroundings or he was simply beyond caring at that point, and both options were reason enough for concern.

She crossed the room and took his arm to pull him back away from the balcony, surprised when she wasn't met with resistance or another flare-up of his temper. She hurried to pull the doors closed before turning back to him, walking him to the middle of the room and taking advantage of his acquiescent behavior to strip him of his jacket and damp shirt.

Michael followed her with his eyes as she maneuvered his limbs to her satisfaction, removing his jacket and shirt before moving to his boots. She was chastising him for something, but he couldn't seem to focus on anything but watching her every move. He obeyed her commands to lift his feet and remained silent as she shifted back to set the boots aside. She wasn't supposed to be fussing over him after everything he had put her through over the past couple of hours. He had been a jerk, yelled at her, tried to pick a fight, he had said mean things and he knew he had hurt her with his callous words, but here she was, worried about him and taking care of him.

_Why wasn't she trying to make him talk?_ He lost his train of thought when she spoke again and when he heard the concern in her voice, and saw the soft expression in her eyes, he felt his grip on his emotions begin to slip.

"You're just determined to catch pneumonia," she scolded as she knelt down to unlace his boots. He kicked them off at her urging and she placed them behind her to avoid tripping over them later. "That's all I need, to take you home with a cold; your mom already has a…"

The words faded into nothing as Maria straightened up to face him and she took in his broken expression. Tears tracked silently down his cheeks, dripping off of his chin and she reached up to cradle his face in her hands. She could feel the fine tremors racing through his body but she couldn't tell if it was a reaction to the cold, his emotions, or both. His dark eyes were so full of hurt that it was nearly painful to meet his gaze directly but she couldn't look away.

He looked so lost, his eyes so full of agony, and she wanted so badly to take his pain away. He was suffering, doubting himself and the importance of his existence, and he needed reassurance but she could tell he wasn't ready to talk about it, to deal with the emotions battering him from all sides. He needed a port in the storm, a safe haven to let those emotions loose, but he needed to be able to do it on his own terms.

The trembling in his body was getting worse and she could tell that he was nearing the breaking point. His emotions were so close to the surface that she could feel them humming beneath his flesh where they were touching. She dropped her right hand from his cheek and reached down to take his hand where it hung limply at his side. "C'mere," she whispered. He was almost docile as she led him to the bed and pulled the quilt back before urging him to lie down and crawling in after him.

Michael collapsed on the far side of the bed, facing away from her as he tried to maintain control over his emotions. His grasp on them was rapidly slipping and the knot in his chest and the lump in his throat were going to explode at any moment. His throat was burning from holding everything inside and it was getting more and more difficult to breathe normally. He opened his mouth to breathe when he realized that his nose was stopped up and he cringed when he heard the strangled, choking sound that came from his throat.

_Please don't ask me to talk,_ he pleaded silently when he felt her settling behind him. Her arms came around him and her lips brushed against his shoulder as she whispered, assuring him that he was going to be okay, that he didn't have to talk about it.

That was both the best and worst thing she could have said in that moment; the best because it meant she understood, and the worst because the whispered assurances combined with her soft touch proved to be too much and the last thread of his control snapped and the floodgates holding his emotions back burst open.

With every choking sound that he made, every ragged sob that was torn from the depths of his wounded soul, Maria's heart shattered and she was unable to hold her own tears back in the face of his pain. _This was what being in love was_, she thought. _Being so connected to another person that you felt their pain as deeply as if it were your own_.

After a while he began to calm down and he eventually fell into an exhausted sleep. She rested her weight on her left elbow, placing her free hand on his shoulder and resting her chin there as she watched him. She knew instinctively that despite this setback he would be chasing after the next lead before long. Even after so many disappointments behind him and the lack of convincing evidence ahead of him, Michael's determination to find the truth hadn't wavered.

Her thoughts shifted to her father and she wondered why she had never looked for him. She had never even made the effort, never looked him up on the Internet or tried to locate him through old friends or family members. It didn't take a psychologist to know she had abandonment issues that stemmed from her father's disappearance from her life.

Despite her rants against her father's abandonment she had never sought him out to discover the truth, to get the closure she knew she needed if she was ever going to be able to move past it. _So, what was preventing her from looking for him? Was it because she was afraid that it would hurt her mother?_ She considered that for several moments before discarding that option. She knew her mother wouldn't prevent her from seeking her father out if Maria ever decided to take that path. Maybe it was fear of her own disappointment that had stopped her from looking for him. _What if he wasn't the talented artist that she remembered? What if he turned out to be just another loser? What if she discovered that he had cheated on her mother and moved on with some other woman, had other children, and had forgotten all about her?_

She had always hoped that he would reappear, come back into her life because she was his daughter and he still loved her. She wanted to matter, to be important enough to him that he would come back for her. That was the real reason for her reluctance to look for her father; taking that step would mean accepting that she wasn't that important to him and she just wasn't ready for that.

Her gaze settled on Michael's shadowed features; his newest disappointment was still evident in the tear tracks that had dried on his cheeks, revealing the vulnerability he normally kept hidden deep beneath the surface. She admired his ability to pursue his quest, to keep searching for the answers he needed, even though it had only led to one disappointment after another.

She wondered if his presence on Earth was accidental or intentional, and if there really was a connection between him and the crash in 1947. Lightening flashed across the sky, momentarily illuminating the room and disturbing Michael's sleep. She eased out of bed and hurried across the room to pull the curtains closed, shutting out the intermittent flashes of light.

She held one panel away from the window and studied the sky as she wondered if they would ever really know what had happened in 1947. Had his parents been killed in the crash, or had they even been on the ship in the first place? If they hadn't been on the ship, or if they had survived the crash, why hadn't they come back for him? What kind of civilization did he come from, that would leave one of their own stranded on an _alien_ planet? Surely he hadn't been left out in the desert intentionally; how could anyone do something so cruel?

It was incredible that she had met an alien when there were so many other people who actively sought out extraterrestrial forms of life and she herself had never really given it much thought. She wondered how different his planet was from this one and decided that while there must surely be differences, there had to be similarities as well because he had adapted to life here so well.

Maria dropped the panel back into place when she heard the restless movements behind her and she turned to look at Michael. He seemed to be dreaming, but if the tightness in his tensed shoulders was any indication, it wasn't a pleasant dream. She wondered if nightmares were a common occurrence or if it was simply a reaction to everything that had happened that day.

She frowned when she realized that despite his restless movements he was still clinging to the edge of the mattress. She eased down behind him once more and reached out to run her fingers through his hair before her hand slid down to settle on his shoulder. She rubbed her hand along his arm from elbow to shoulder and back again until she felt him begin to relax.

*********

Michael began to stir when the sounds of people engaging in morning activities began to register in his muddled brain. He was comfortable where he was and would have been happy to stay in bed and sleep late, but his mother would be in to make sure he was up before long. The scent of breakfast cooking caused his stomach to growl and he realized just how hungry he was. He shifted with the intention of stretching and getting up when he realized there was an arm draped over his waist and it didn't belong to him.

The night before came rushing back and the feeling of peace that had settled over him sometime during the night disappeared in a heartbeat, taking his appetite with it. He shifted slowly and carefully eased out from under Maria's arm, nearly falling out of bed in the process. He wasn't ready for her to wake up, for her to ask questions that he wasn't ready to answer. _She's not gonna have any questions for you,_ taunted that voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Dakota. _You can't seriously think she's gonna stick around after that pathetic display last night. She'll be happy to see you go and you're not gonna see her again once she drops you off at home. You're not worth keeping around, and thanks to your invitation to investigate that bogus sighting she knows that now._

Michael hurried to grab a clean tee shirt out of his bag and tug it on over his head before shoving his feet into his boots and grabbing his bag. He closed the door behind him, careful to make sure that it locked, and made his way to the reception area.

"You must be Maria's young man," a cheerful voice called out as he approached the desk.

He didn't know how to respond to the old woman, certain that after last night he wasn't going to be someone Maria wanted to know any longer. "She already pay for the room?" he asked gruffly.

"No," Annie answered, sensing that he wasn't interested in making conversation. "Folks generally settle their bill when they check out."

Michael reached for his wallet; paying for the room was the least he could do considering everything he had put her through in the past twenty-four hours. "I'll take care of the bill."


	60. Chapter 59

**Part 59**

Maria glanced at Michael as she slid in behind the steering wheel, sighing when she saw his defensive posture. She had hoped that sleep would help his disposition but instead it seemed that he had only isolated himself. Arms crossed over his chest, body slouched down in his seat, and his gaze locked on something only he could see… everything about him screamed _stay away!_

"Did you sleep well?" she asked as she started the car.

He shrugged silently.

"Are you hungry? Do you wanna get something to eat before we get back on the road?"

He shook his head and shifted so that he was staring out through the window on his side.

Maria wondered if it was normal behavior for him to act this way after the sightings turned out to be dead ends. It wasn't like Michael to go so long without eating and she knew it had to be directly related to the night before.

She turned the car around, heading back towards the highway. It was early enough that most fast food restaurants would still be serving breakfast so she decided to stop for something to eat when she saw one she liked.

*********

Nancy Parker leaned against the doorframe of her daughter's bedroom, watching her as she fussed over her appearance. It was still early, barely half past nine on a Saturday morning and she knew Liz wasn't working the weekend shift, so it was unusual for the teenager to be up and about when there was an opportunity to sleep late.

"Big plans today?"

Liz turned away from the mirror to look at her mother. "Hey, Mom. Yeah, I'm spending the day with Max; he's got something special planned but he won't tell me what it is."

Nancy smiled at her daughter's obvious anticipation of the date. She had met Max and knew he spent a lot of time sitting in the same booth at the back of the restaurant almost every night, pretending to work on his homework, and trying to watch Liz without being conspicuous about it. He was quiet and he seemed smart, responsible, and he was mature for his age, but he was still a normal seventeen-year-old boy.

_It was the quiet ones you had to keep an eye on though_, she mused. Liz was the quiet type as well and if it weren't for Maria she would probably spend the majority of her time with her nose buried in a book. She frowned as it occurred to her that she hadn't seen the excitable blonde around very much lately.

"Where's Maria?" she asked curiously. "You have a big date this afternoon and she's not here to help you get ready?"

Liz swallowed hard as she avoided her mother's probing gaze. _Of all days for her mom to notice Maria's absence, why did it have to be today?_ she wondered. After that last argument she wasn't sure if she and Maria would ever be friends again.

Nancy's gaze turned speculative when her daughter's expression suddenly changed from excited to pensive. "Have the two of you stopped spending time together because you're seeing Max?"

Liz shrugged. She couldn't exactly deny it but there was only so much she could tell her mother. "Well, that's part of it," she hedged. "But Maria's been seeing someone too; some guy named Michael."

Nancy's eyebrows lifted in surprise when she heard the irritation in her daughter's voice. Combined with the dislike on Liz's face when she spoke the other boy's name she quickly realized that Liz didn't like the guy that her best friend was dating.

"Honey, I know you think Max is the love of your life – and maybe he is," she rushed on when Liz opened her mouth to protest. "But you and Maria have been friends your entire lives. Guys don't always stick around, especially at this age, with graduation and college coming up so soon. Friendships like the one you have with Maria, they're strong enough to last your whole life, but you have to take care of them, you have to protect them if they're gonna last."

Liz nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Friendships like yours and Maria's are rare and so precious, honey. You guys have been through so much already, you've shared a lifetime of ups and downs and you've been there for each other every step of the way; don't lose that over a couple of boys who may or may not be around in a year."

Liz sighed in relief when her mother left after imparting her wisdom and advice. She knew her mother meant well, and she was just trying to help but the last thing she wanted to hear about was her fading friendship.

*********

Maria glanced up at the sign posted by the side of the road, not sure whether to be relieved or upset that they would be back at his house in a little more than half an hour. Michael had been completely unresponsive, lost in his thoughts, and silent as the miles flew by. She had even tuned the radio to a station that played the type of music that he hated, hoping to get a reaction out of him.

She knew how to deal with him when he was angry or argumentative, but this was so far out of the realm of her knowledge. He had moved past the anger from the night before; now he was just withdrawn and hurt, and suffering in silence. She didn't know what else to do or say to convince him to let her in, to let her take some of that weight off of him, and she worried that his inability to accept her help would come between them.

The miles flew by and before long they were pulling onto the reservation. Maria wondered if his family would be home, unsure whether that would be better or worse considering his mood. His mother had admitted that he had a tendency to pull away when the sightings ended in disappointment, refusing to talk to anyone about what had happened.

She was trying to figure out what to say to him as she pulled into his driveway but the words refused to form into sentences of any substance. _"Knowing that he's hurt and there is nothing I can say or do to make him feel better is one of the worst feelings that exist." _ Now she understood what his mother had meant because she was in that same position.

Michael grabbed his bag off of the floor between his feet and threw the door open. He held onto the open door and pulled himself up and out, pausing to turn back and lean down to glance inside. "I didn't mean to waste your time and screw up your weekend."

Maria opened her mouth to refute his statement but he slammed the door and hurried into the house before she could get a single word out. She leaned back in her seat and stared at the front door, debating the intelligence of going in after him. She couldn't confront him like this; he was in a lot of pain and she wanted to help him but she didn't know how or where to start.

_River Dog,_ she realized suddenly. He was the one who would be able to help her find a way to deal with Michael. He loved and respected the old man and they had a special relationship, a bond forged in the heat of the unforgiving desert and strengthened over time. His grandfather had given her advice regarding Michael before, at the ceremony, and she was certain that he would be the best one to talk to now. With her plan of action in place she shifted the car into reverse, but her foot remained on the brake when she realized she had no idea where to find River Dog.

_Well, that wasn't going to stop her_, she thought as she eased off of the brake and backed out of the driveway. Someone on the Rez knew where the old man lived and she was going to get that information.

Some time later she realized that her plan was not working. She had driven to the tiny general store situated not far from the Reservation's entrance, going inside and asking the clerk if she knew where River Dog lived. The woman had seemed almost suspicious of Maria and her question and she had simply shaken her head and gone back to stocking the shelves.

Refusing to be deterred, Maria had stood outside of the store for a while, asking the few people who came by if they could help her, without luck. A couple of them had been just plain rude, ignoring her questions as they brushed past her and the rest had reacted the same way the woman in the store had.

Gabriel Red Eagle watched Maria from the front window of the Tribal Office, smiling at her determined expression. She had been out there for quite a while now, stopping people and asking them something that wasn't getting a positive response. His eyebrows rose in surprise when she stepped out into the street to stop an oncoming car, obviously intending to pose her question once more.

He sighed when the woman in the car shook her head in denial of possessing an answer to the girl's question and he straightened away from the window. Most of the Whites seen on the Rez were tourists and he knew many of his people disliked that, but Maria wasn't a tourist and most of the people she had spoken to were aware of that. Many of them had been at the ceremony recently, and it had quickly gotten around that John and Catherine Two Feathers' son was dating a White girl. He didn't understand their reluctance to speak to her since they were sure to recognize her – they weren't likely to forget her so soon; she was unique, just like her mother.

He smiled as he thought about Amy and he wondered if she would be back from her impromptu trip soon. He knew she had gone away for a few days to sort through some things and he had wisely accepted that without argument. She had a lot of things to weigh and consider, and it had to be difficult for her to suddenly be entertaining the idea of having him as a permanent fixture in her life.

Gabriel glanced around at the room he was in the process of refinishing, satisfied with the work he had put in that day. He set the sander aside and dusted his hands off before crossing to the door and pulling it open.

Movement from the corner of her eye caught Maria's attention and she turned her head to look at the man jogging across the street. He was tall, probably close to Michael's height, but he was slimmer with bronzed skin and long, black hair. He called out a greeting as he stepped up on the weathered wooden boards that made up the front stoop of the small store.

"It seems like maybe you're looking for something… or someone?"

Maria smiled in response to his courteous question. "I'm trying to find out where my boyfriend's grandfather might be; I figured someone around here might know, but so far no one's been willing to give me any information. So, if you know River Dog or at least where I can find him that would help me a lot."

"You're in luck," Gabriel said as he reached for the small notebook he always carried around in his back pocket. "His place is a little difficult to find if you've never been there." He glanced at her, nodding when she shook her head to indicate that she had never been to the old man's home. "Y'know where Shiloh Road intersects with Second Street?"

"I know where Shiloh Road is, but I don't think I've ever seen Second Street."

"Well, if you know where Shiloh is we've got a starting point to work from."

Maria smiled at his positive tone and leaned in closer to watch him sketch out a map, paying attention to the verbal directions he was giving at the same time.

"There's no guarantee River Dog's gonna be home, but this'll get you to his front door," he said as he ripped the sheet from the spiral binding and handed it to her.

"You think he might not be there?"

Gabriel wondered at the worry that flickered briefly in her green eyes. "There's a stream near his place, you'll be able to hear it from his front porch; if he's not at home, check near the stream. If you're not used to hiking or being out in the desert I wouldn't recommend going much farther than that on your own." As he shoved the notebook back in his pocket, he saw the determined expression that settled over her features. "It's that important that you find him right away?"

"Yeah, very important."

He nodded and reached for the piece of paper he had just given to her. "I'll be working over at the Tribal Office for the rest of the day," he said as he wrote a telephone number across the top, "so, if he's not home and you don't find him close by, call this number and I'll come out and help you find him."

"Oh." Maria accepted the paper once more and glanced up at him, surprised by his sincere offer. "Thank you."

He watched her rush off then, hurrying to her car so she could go in search of her boyfriend's grandfather. He returned her wave when she drove past and then walked across the street so he could get back to work.

*********

Max stood up when the swinging door between the back of the restaurant and the front opened and Liz stepped out. He crossed the space between them and leaned down to kiss her before offering her the bunch of wildflowers he held in his right hand.

"These are for you," he said with a gentle smile.

"They're beautiful." Liz accepted them, holding them up to her nose so she could inhale their delicate scent. "Let me just put them in some water before we go."

Max nodded and stepped back, hands in his pockets while he waited for her to return.

"Okay, are you gonna tell me what you've got planned yet?" she asked as she joined him once more and they walked out of the restaurant together.

"I thought we could start with a movie; _Moulin Rouge_ is playing and I know you wanted to see it."

"Yeah, I couldn't even talk Alex into that one." She chuckled as she recalled his refusal to go see the movie. "Are you sure you wanna see it?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine," he said, taking her hand as they walked along the sidewalk. "I'll have a good time regardless of what we see or do; I'll be with you and that's really the most important thing for me."


	61. Chapter 60

**Part 60**

Maria stood at the edge of the stream and looked left and right in an effort to see if River Dog was close by. She had knocked on the front door for several minutes before finally accepting that he wasn't home, and then she had followed the sound of moving water to find the stream the man from the Tribal Office had told her about.

She was certain the old man had to be there somewhere; there was an old truck parked next to the house indicating that he hadn't gone anywhere. She looked up at the sky when the wind momentarily picked up, turning her head to the side when she thought she heard the sound of chanting. It was barely audible and silence surrounded her once more when the wind died down again.

For the wind to pick up the sound and carry it, the sound and wind both had to be coming from the same direction… right? She nodded decisively; that only made sense. She looked to the left and started walking, following the stream for a while until it forked in two different directions.

"Great," she muttered, wondering which way would lead to River Dog's location. If she followed it to the right she was going to have to cross the stream and if she continued to follow it to the left she was going to be walking uphill.

She shook her head and kept moving, staying with the left side of the fork. _Nothing with Michael was easy so it only made sense that this wouldn't be easy either._ After twenty minutes of trudging uphill under the sun that was steadily rising higher in the late morning sky she paused to lean over and brace her hands on her knees so she could catch her breath.

Quiet chuckling drew her attention and she turned her head to the right. Her mouth dropped open in shock when she saw River Dog sitting on a large boulder, watching her with an amused glint in his dark eyes.

River Dog was certain that her presence was somehow related to his grandson's most recent quest to search for answers. He had expected to see Michael early that morning but the boy hadn't stopped by for a visit. He had a feeling that the young woman's surprise visit and his grandson's absence meant that the trip had ended in yet another disappointment.

Red-faced from the exertion of hiking uphill, Maria drew in another gasping breath and used her shirtsleeve to dry the sweat from her face. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to find you?" she huffed breathlessly. "Hiking across the desert, climbing up hills… between you and Michael my life expectancy is getting shorter and shorter."

"The well-traveled path is not necessarily the best."

"What?" Maria shook her head. "My brain is oxygen-deprived; I can't do riddles right now."

River Dog chuckled again before his expression sobered. "You've come to talk about Michael."

Maria nodded and quickly launched into an abbreviated version of events over the past eighteen hours.

The old man listened to her as she relayed the information, detecting many emotions in her voice and expressions as she spoke. Her concern for his grandson was evident, as was her uncertainty in regards to the best way to handle the situation.

"I don't know what to do," she confessed when she finished going over the events that had occurred. "I don't know how to help him." She sighed. "When I took him home and he got out of the car it just felt… _final_, like he didn't expect to see me again."

"What was your first instinct at that point?" he asked curiously.

"Well, my first instinct was to go after him, but then I thought maybe that wasn't the way to deal with him this time. If he had been pissed off I wouldn't have thought twice about it, but he's hurt and vulnerable, and I don't know how far or how hard to push him when he's like this."

"Follow your instincts where he's concerned, Maria."

"Yeah, well, if I had done that last night I would've just let him sleep in the car," she grumbled.

River Dog shook his head and smiled, well aware that his grandson could be infuriating on occasion. "That was simply an emotional response to his behavior; your first instinct in that case was to take care of him, to keep him safe."

"How do I do that when he won't let me in?" she shouted, her frustration with Michael and the situation coming through in her voice.

"It's going to be up to you to take the first step, to show him that you want him despite his belief that he wasn't good enough for his biological parents to keep. If you don't reach him he's going to spend the next couple of days building his defenses and you'll miss your opportunity."

"How do I reach him when I can't even get a response out of him?" Maria exclaimed, worry showing clearly on her face.

"Provoke him, make him face his fears." He smiled reassuringly. "Make him believe that you aren't gonna give up on him even when he's doing everything he can to push you away."

Maria paused to consider what River Dog had just said. "So, push him into a fight?"

"Michael is afraid of being abandoned again, Maria; the way he was left in the desert as a child left him with deep emotional scars, and fears he refuses to talk about. He won't admit it, but there's a part of him that believes he deserves that fate, that no matter how comfortable he gets with people he'll eventually do something that will make them leave him."

"You're saying he's distancing himself from me because he thinks I'm gonna leave." Maria felt pain slicing through her heart as she thought about the situation. It hurt just to think about Michael believing he was so worthless that everyone would leave him sooner or later. Years with River Dog's family hadn't erased that insecurity, that belief that he wasn't worth keeping, being loved, all because his biological parents, his people, had never bothered coming back for him.

"I haven't spoken to him since you returned from your trip, but after hearing what happened, I'm sure he probably thinks he pushed you too far and you won't be willing to put up with him, his fears, and his search for the truth. You've seen a side of him that he's never revealed to anyone else and knowing Michael the way that I do, I can only imagine that he's afraid that you see him as weak, and he's preparing himself for the worst."

Maria shook her head. She knew that Michael was complicated, that he had fears, like everybody else, but this was more than she had expected. She knew about abandonment, but she had managed, for the most part, to put it behind her and to never let it bother her too much when she thought about her father. But she hadn't been abandoned by both parents, dumped in the desert, like Michael had been by his real family. "What could be worse than him thinking that he's gonna be abandoned again?"

"Thinking that _you_ will be the next to abandon him." He smiled and motioned for her to join him on the boulder. "I don't think you know just how important you've become to him in the time you've known each other."

"Do you think he still has that fear where his family is concerned? I mean, is he scared that you guys will leave him?"

"It's not a constant fear any longer, but there are things that trigger it. I remember when he was eight years old…"

_River Dog had stopped by on his way back from a trip into the city and Catherine had been frantic when she answered the front door, quickly ushering her father-in-law inside and closing the door behind him. "I didn't know John had been able to reach you," she said, leaning around the living room doorway to check on Maggie. _

"_Reach me for what?" he asked, confused._

_Her voice was pitched low when she spoke. "Michael's missing."_

"_What? Since when?" _

"_He – "_

"_Grandpa!" Maggie exclaimed, running into the hallway and throwing her arms around his waist. _

_Catherine glanced over her shoulder when the telephone rang. "I'll be right back."_

_Maggie tugged on her grandfather's jacket. "Are you gonna go find Michael?" She rolled her eyes as dramatically as a seven-year-old could. "Mom thinks if she talks real quiet I won't know he ran away, but I know, Grandpa."_

_River Dog knelt down on one knee in front of the little girl. "And how do you know?"_

"_Cuz he took all his 'portant stuff with him."_

"_Why don't you tell me what happened?"_

_She took a deep breath as if she were preparing for a very long story. "Well, me an' Michael was waitin' for Dad cuz he was gonna let us ride the horses and we were standin' on the gate but Dad made us get down cuz Michael kept pullin' the latch up so we could swing on the gate. Dad said we was gonna let the cows out if we wasn't careful an' we can't 'ford to lose 'em so we couldn't swing on the gate no more, but the big dummy got back up there and did it again soon as Dad went in the barn."_

"_The cattle got out," River Dog guessed._

"_Uh-huh," she confided, nodding. "Dad told Michael he had to stay in his room 'til they got the cows back an' he was mad, but he wasn't mean or nothin'. He was just mad cuz them cows costed a lot of money."_

"_Um-hmm."_

"_Yeah, Uncle Kade an' Uncle Matt came over with Uncle 'lijah to help Dad catch the cows, an' after they got 'em all they went home an' Dad gave Michael the looong talk." Her eyes widened as if that could convey the length of the talk her brother had gotten. "You know what comes after the long talk, Grandpa." She nodded solemnly and lowered her voice. "Dad spanked him an' he wouldn't come out of his room after that an' when Mom went to get him for lunch he was gone outta his room." Maggie paused then and her big brown eyes filled with tears as she met her grandfather's gaze directly. "He's gonna come back home, right, Grandpa?"_

"_We'll find him, honey," he promised. "Now, why don't you go make sure his room's ready for when he comes home, okay?"_

"'_kay, Grandpa."_

_He waited until she had scampered off before he went looking for his daughter-in-law. He found her in the kitchen and he leaned against the island in the center of the room, watching her as she scrubbed the already-spotless counter. "Catherine, we'll find the boy," he said quietly. "Do you have any idea how long he's been gone? Maggie's ability to judge time is still a little questionable."_

"_It's been a couple of hours at least," she said, refusing to look up from the counter. "He took Rath with him and I know that dog's very protective, but he's still a little boy."_

_River Dog looked out through the window on his left side and nodded to himself. The boy hadn't gotten too far; he hadn't been gone long enough to reach any of the major roads that surrounded the Reservation. The most feasible direction for the boy to have taken would have been out into the desert. "I'm gonna take one of the horses out and take a look around, see if I can't pick up the boy's tracks."_

_It had taken about an hour of searching in a circular pattern before he had picked up the boy's tracks and from there it had been ridiculously easy to find him. He had gone right back to the place where River Dog had found him two years before, and as the man dismounted he caught a glimpse of the blanket he had given the boy sticking out of the crawl space he had used for shelter._

_He crossed the sand silently and crouched down when he was close so he could look inside to make sure the little boy was all right. Rath, the large golden retriever that belonged to the boy lifted his head and his tail thumped in greeting when he recognized the man. Michael was asleep, his body curled up against the dog and his hands wrapped around the straps of his backpack._

_Very gently he reached inside and eased the strap out of the boy's hands, pulling it closer to him and unzipping it. He smiled as he inventoried the contents inside; he found the teddy bear, a handful of pictures of his family, several bottles of water, and some candy. He zipped the bag up once more and set it aside before reaching in to shake the boy's shoulder._

_Michael startled when he felt someone touching him and he pushed himself back as far as he could, pressing Rath against the back wall of the hiding place. _

"_Michael."_

_The boy relaxed when he heard his grandfather's voice, but only slightly._

"_Why don't you come out here so we can talk," River Dog suggested. He waited until the boy had crawled out of the cave before he spoke again. "Can you tell me why you ran away?"_

_Michael's arms came up, crossing over his chest defensively as he stared at the ground. "They don't want me no more so I left." He shrugged one shoulder. "This's where I really should be anyway; my real mom an' dad left me here cuz they didn't want me…" He kicked the sand with the toe of his right shoe and he bit his bottom lip when he felt it starting to tremble. _

"_What makes you think your parents don't want you?"_

"_Cuz Dad spanked me an' they yelled at me."_

"_Do you know why they did those things?" River Dog asked quietly. He nodded when Michael remained silent. "You were told to stop swinging on the gate because of the risk that the cattle would get out of the pen; there's a reason parents tell children to do things. John and Catherine love you, Michael and there's nothing that they wouldn't do for you, but there are rules that are in place for a reason. When they tell you to do something it's for your own good."_

Maria stared at River Dog in disbelief. "He actually believed that he belonged in the desert?"

"Part of him still believes that, Maria. Most of the time he's secure in his place here, with his family, but even now at almost eighteen, there are still things that trigger those insecurities. He's never been easy, and I sincerely doubt that will ever change."

"Michael wouldn't be Michael if he wasn't difficult," Maria said with a small smile. "I don't expect things to change and suddenly be easy; I just want him to let me in."

"Then don't give him too much time to build that wall around himself," the old man advised.

*********

Max and Liz sat outside of the little ice cream shop on the corner of Main Street and Third Avenue, discussing the movie they had just watched.

"You're that surprised that I enjoyed the movie?" Max asked.

"Well, it's not really a _guy_ movie, y'know? I mean, Alex wouldn't go see it and he'll go to just about any movie." Liz dragged her spoon through the vanilla ice cream in her dish as her thoughts wandered.

Max glanced at her when she became quiet and he worried that her thoughts had moved to her strained relationship with Maria. "What're you thinking?"

She chuckled, surprising him. "I was just thinking that my mom would've totally disapproved of the movie."

"Really? My mom loved it. My dad, not so much, but he went to make her happy."

"That's sweet; I'm sure she appreciated it."

He laughed and nodded. "She did until he started snoring halfway through it." He finished his ice cream and leaned back in his chair. "So, you don't think your mom would like the movie?"

"No." Liz shook her head negatively. "My mom's not very… well, she's kinda rigid, I guess. She's not horrible or anything, she's just set in her ways and she doesn't really have much of a sense of humor. My dad's the complete opposite; he's funny and laid-back and really easygoing." She paused a moment, thinking. "What're your parents like?"

"I'd say they're a lot like the way you've described your dad. My mom's the one who does most of the worrying, but I guess that's pretty typical. Isabel has had Dad wrapped around her little finger since they brought us home." He chuckled and shook his head. "You should see her in action some time; she wants something she just pulls out this special pout that she only uses on him, calls him Daddy, and it's all over. Mom sees right through it every single time, so Isabel doesn't always get what she wants, contrary to popular belief."

"You guys have a really good relationship with your parents, don't you?"

"Yeah. I can't imagine what would've happened to us without them; they really made the difference for us, y'know?"

"Do you ever think about telling them?"

"All the time," he admitted quietly. "I know Isabel thinks she's cornered the market on that particular wish, but it's not hers exclusively." He smiled sadly. "I don't like always being the one to tell her we have to keep it to ourselves, but it helps her maintain the illusion that they wouldn't freak out if we told them." He shrugged. "This way she can blame me for them not knowing and she doesn't have to think about how they'd really react in that situation."

"You don't think they'd take it well?"

"Honestly, I'm scared to find out. I know they love us, but… could you imagine your children coming to you with such a fantastic story? Do you know what it would do to Isabel if they didn't take it well? It would devastate her and I don't think she could handle that."

"I'm sure she understands that you're trying to protect her, Max."

"I hope so." He stood and held his hand out to her. "I had hoped that maybe she'd relax and let her guard down a little with you and Alex now that she's had time to see that you guys can be trusted, but I guess that's not gonna happen."

Liz slid her hand into his and they dropped the disposable dishes into a trash receptacle on their way to the jeep. "You worry about her, don't you?"

Max sighed as he reached past her to open the passengers' side door. "Isabel's popular, hangs with the right crowd, goes to all the right parties, and dates all the right guys, but it's all so superficial." He shook his head. "None of it makes her happy. I thought if she was around you guys, since you know the truth, maybe she'd be able to actually form a bond or at least become friends, but…"

Liz sat on the edge of the seat and looked up at him. "That could still happen, Max."

"Liz, I know how my sister is."

She smiled. "True, but you don't know how Alex is."

"What d'you mean?"

"Alex has a way of reaching people, Max. They've been spending a lot of time together, working on their history project and I'll bet she's already confided in him. He's easy to talk to; he's a great listener and confiding in him is just so effortless."

"I know he's your friend, Liz, but Isabel hasn't had a single nice thing to say about him."

"When's the last time she had a not-so-nice thing to say about him?" She nodded when he paused, thinking about her question. "She'll open up to him eventually, if she hasn't already."

Max nodded at her confident tone and closed the door after she shifted around to face the front. _Maybe she was right_, he thought as he walked around to the drivers' side. He'd think about it later; right now he had plans with the girl he loved and he didn't want to waste a minute of it.


	62. Chapter 61

**Part 61**

Michael dropped his bag on the floor and slammed the door, turning to lean back against it. His quest had finally cost him more than he had been prepared to lose. He had waited his entire life for the crazy blond to bulldoze her way into his life and his heart and in a matter of hours he had managed to destroy it.

"Damn it!" he mumbled, kicking his bag across the room. He was so upset that he couldn't even muster up enough emotion to get angry. Everything inside hurt and he didn't know how to make it stop, how to go back to who he had been just twenty-four hours ago.

He found himself standing in front of a bookshelf, inexplicably drawn to the ratty old teddy bear wedged into the small space between _Ulysses_ and a stack of CD's. He reached out to pick the stuffed animal up, holding it in his right hand as he stared at it. The teddy bear was worn from being carried around constantly when Michael was younger and a black button had been sewn on in place of its left eye from where it had been broken when it had been caught in a car door.

His fingers rubbed over the stitches that his mother had redone countless times when he was little, the thread keeping the teddy bear's right arm attached to its body. The stuffed toy had been his only source of comfort while he had been at the orphanage and it had been his only connection to the people who would later become his family.

_He hadn't understood why he had been taken away from them and left in a place that was so loud and filled with many children. He had fought against the adults when they had taken him from River Dog and John; he had struggled to get away from them but they had been strong and he had been taken to a different place in the large building._

_They had pried the teddy bear from his death grip, carelessly tossing the toy across the room before stripping his clothes off of him. He had been terrified when one of the adults turned a faucet on, starting the shower that he hadn't noticed before. He had tried to get away, but biting, clawing, and screaming hadn't made them release him. Some deeper instinct prevented him from raising his hands and making them go away; he had a feeling that doing that would be very bad for him. Somehow he knew that it wasn't safe to do that here… it was only safe to let River Dog see him using his hands and making things happen. _

_Afterwards they had dressed him in new clothes and taken him into a large room filled with many children and it had been so loud that it had hurt his ears. One of the adults had picked him up and sat him on a bench next to another little boy before placing a plate in front of him and motioning to it. _

_Michael looked at the food, leaning forward to sniff it cautiously. It looked like the same thing River Dog had been giving him but it didn't smell quite right. He was hungry though, so he took a tentative bite of the yellow square on the plate, chewing a couple of times before spitting it out._

_The little boy next to him had suddenly started to make a lot of noise and then he had shoved Michael, pushing him off of the bench. His head had hit the floor hard, and the adult who had carried him into the room rushed over to pick him up. He tensed up when the woman touched him repeatedly, not understanding that she was trying to make sure he was all right._

_After that he had refused to eat anything and he had been taken from one adult to another. They had all made lots of different sounds and every time he had gotten up to wander around the rooms they would make him sit down again. He had quickly gotten bored with the adults and the sterile rooms and he had ignored them, more interested in thinking about River Dog and the others, wondering where they had gone._

_Finally one of the adults from earlier had come into the room and she had placed the teddy bear in his arms; he had been exhausted by that point and he hadn't even had enough strength to fight her when she picked him up._

_The next couple of days had been much like that first one and he had become increasingly withdrawn. He didn't understand the people, he didn't know what they wanted from him, the other children were loud, and a couple of them kept pushing him around. Any time the adults would leave him alone he would find a quiet corner and make himself as small as possible, trying to be invisible so everyone would leave him alone._

_He looked up when something blocked the light and he had frowned when two of his antagonists had moved to stand on either side of him while a third one stood in front of him. They were the same ones who were always messing with him and he didn't understand why they were always bothering him or what they wanted._

_He wasn't fast enough to control his expression when the boy in front of him suddenly started to make noise and pulled Teddy from behind his back. He was always careful to hide the toy during the day, taking it from its hiding place only after the darkness came and it was quiet._

_The boy dangled the teddy bear in front of Michael, jerking it back out of reach when he tried to grab it. The third time Michael got a grip on the toy and they pulled it back and forth, both refusing to release it until the thread finally snapped under the pressure._

_Michael stumbled backwards, pleased that he had taken possession of Teddy until he noticed the white stuff sticking out where one of its arms should have been. He stared at it for several seconds, trying to process what had happened. He had looked up at the boy holding Teddy's arm and he had reacted instinctively; he launched himself at the boy and they crashed to the ground, exchanging blows._

_He had been indignant when a couple of the adults had pulled them apart and as soon as he had been released he had grabbed Teddy and the severed arm and run off to find a quiet place to hide. He had found himself in the hallway that led outside and his dark eyes scanned the area in front of the wide doors. A large man sat behind the desk that he had tried to sneak past several times already, but he settled in a corner out of sight where he could watch and wait._

_Michael held Teddy tightly in his arms, his fingers gently stroking over the soft fur. He didn't understand why he had been brought to this place, why he had been taken from River Dog, John, and the others. He had liked being with them and they had been nice to him; he didn't like being in this place where he was treated differently by everyone._

_He looked up when the doors at the end of the hallway opened, squinting when the sun reflected off of the tiled floor and made his eyes water. He pushed himself back further into the corner and rubbed his eyes, waiting for the burning sensation caused by the sudden brightness to go away._

_His head shot up when he heard familiar voices and when he was able to focus his eyes on the visitors and he saw River Dog and the others he scrambled to his feet and ran along the hall. He was so close to reaching them when the man at the desk intercepted him and prevented him from going any further._

_His protests were loud and inarticulate as he struggled against the man's hold but he refused to be calmed or controlled. The voices around him got louder, increasing his stress level and his little heart was pounding as he fought harder to free himself. He couldn't understand what was being said and more voices were joining in, making his confusion even worse._

_It wasn't until it suddenly became quiet and he had been placed back on his own two feet that he had started to calm down. He had immediately run to River Dog, wrapping his arms around one of the man's legs and refusing to let go. They had given him time and space; waiting for him come to them when he was ready and never rushing him. _

_Michael had eventually relaxed his grip on the old man's jeans and leaned around him when he became aware of a familiar smell. Catherine had been sitting close by with John and Maggie, her hands busy unwrapping a piece of cornbread. His eyes had followed every movement she made but despite the desire to move closer to them he had remained where he was. It wasn't until Maggie had moved to stand next to him, her small hands wrapping around one of his wrists and tugging that he had followed his instincts and gone to them._

_He had looked down at Teddy for several seconds before slowly holding it out to Catherine. He wasn't sure what he expected her to do, but he felt certain that she would make it better. He watched her as she carefully set Teddy down next to her and then stood still when she leaned forward to run her hands over him, somehow understanding that she meant no harm._

_She had turned to say something to John and the man had left them for a few minutes, coming back with a damp cloth and handing it to her. She had gently washed his face, removing bits of blood from his earlier fight with the other boy before handing him the piece of cornbread._

_He had stood between John's knees, leaning back against the man's leg as he watched Catherine fix Teddy's arm. The fingers of his left hand had been in constant motion, pulling and tugging at the watch on John's wrist. He had been fascinated with Teddy's recovery when Catherine handed him back, and he had tugged on the previously severed limb to see if it would stay in place. _

Michael stared at the stuffed toy he held, wondering how many times his mother had patched Teddy up over the years. He was reaching up to place it back on the shelf when he heard the door behind him open. He didn't have to look to know it was Maria, he could _feel_ it; there was a subtle shift in the air whenever she was close by. He wasn't sure how to describe it, but it was similar to the feeling he got when standing out in the desert before a big thunderstorm started, when the sky was a threatening shade of gray and the air almost crackled with static electricity. That feeling of anticipation that came over him as he would wait to see what fury Mother Nature was going to unleash was about as close as he could get to putting it into words.

"I knocked but no one answered," she explained, pointing back over her shoulder even though he couldn't see the motion.

_Why had she come back?_ His thumb stroked over the stuffed toy once more, unconsciously drawing comfort from it before turning to face her.

"I guess you're the only one home and you kinda left the front door open, so…"

Michael shook his head, scowling. "What're you doin' here?" _Had she driven all the way back just to break up with him in person?_

For just a moment Maria hesitated; she was embarking on new territory with Michael and she didn't know what to expect from him in his current state of mind. "I've been talking to your grandfather…" She trailed off when he started shaking his head. "What?"

"River Dog isn't home and you don't know where he lives."

"It wasn't easy to find him, but it was far from being impossible."

"So, you somehow found out where he lives and you went lookin' for him – which is stupid because you don't know the desert or this area well enough to be out wandering around by yourself. Why would you do that?" His back teeth started to grind as he realized there was only one reason for her to seek out the old man. "You had no right to go talk to him!" he exploded angrily. "What happened last night is nobody's business but mine; it's my problem so stay out of it!"

"Stay out of it?" she repeated slowly.

If he hadn't been so angry he would've paid attention to the warning tone in her voice, but he wasn't thinking clearly and he charged into the fight blindly. "You don't need to involve yourself – "

"No," Maria snapped, interrupting him. "I'll agree that it's not my problem because it's not a problem, Michael, but I am involved and I will not stay out of it. You involved me when you told me the truth about yourself, when you asked me to go with you to chase that sighting, and when you were so devastated last night because it turned out to be another false lead."

Michael's eyes turned darker, furious that she had dared to bring up what he felt was a weak moment. "Consider yourself free then," he yelled, smacking his hand against his desk. "Leave!"

"I'm not going anywhere, you thick-headed alien!" _God, she couldn't believe how dense he was being._

"I'm releasing you from any involvement – "

Maria's green eyes blazed with anger, unable to believe his audacity. "I didn't ask you to release me from anything!" she shouted.

"I don't give a damn whether you asked to be freed of this crap or not – you went behind my back and talked to my grandfather about somethin' that you had no business talkin' to him about!" He couldn't believe that she had done that; gone to the old man to discuss things that were private and should've remained that way.

Maria closed her eyes as anger clouded her sight. "You don't get to decide which problems I can and can't handle, Michael; I'm not some mindless puppet that you can manipulate. You can't control my feelings or make them fit into some little box so you can just pick and choose which ones are acceptable."

Michael's head was starting to hurt from the constant barrage of shouting from both sides. "I'm not tryin' to control anything!" he yelled, hands balled into fists at his sides to keep from hitting the desk again. "I'm just sayin' that what happened last night doesn't need to be discussed!"

Maria yelled back at him, her voice louder than his. "So, you'd rather hide for the next several days and bury your feelings? I suppose I should just go home and you'll call me once you've succeeded in blocking last night's events from your memory, is that it?"

"Yeah, that's it; it happened and it's over," he snapped. "There's no need to keep talkin' about it."

"Well, I don't work that, way, Michael. You might as well accept that I'm not going anywhere; I love you and I care about you, and if going to talk to your grandfather was the only way I knew of to help you then I'd do it again!" _That was final and he'd better accept it!_

"I don't want you talkin' to anyone about – "

"I'm not finished!" she shouted, allowing the hurt from the day before to fuel her temper. "You're a part of my life, a part of me, and I will not apologize for doing something that I thought would help me find a way to help you through this. Your grandfather seemed to be the best person to go to because you've got a very special bond with him and he has an amazing understanding of how you think and how to deal with you. Don't ever expect me to just stand back and let you suffer the way you did last night, or the way you're hurting right now, without doing everything in my power to find a way to help you."

Michael turned around and braced his fisted hands on his desk, his head hanging low between his shoulder blades as his mind went on an internal rant. She wasn't wrong and he knew it. He _had_ involved her in his life and he had known even before he had revealed his secret that she never did anything halfway. He had to expect her to be involved all the way, and he couldn't just think that she would only be involved when it was convenient for him.

He could feel some of the tension leaving his body as he started to calm down and see the argument from her side. If their places were reversed he wouldn't have allowed her to suffer, he would've done everything in his power to find a way to help her. He slowly started to straighten up as he realized that was what she had done the night before, it was what she had done by talking to his grandfather, and it was what she was doing now as she fought with him, trying to knock his walls down before he could bury his feelings once again. She wasn't repulsed by his behavior the night before and she didn't see him as weak for his loss of control over his emotions; she just wanted to take care of him, which was exactly what she had done then and it was what she was trying to do now… if he would let her.

"Do you even have any idea how important you are to me, Michael? Huh? Important enough that this quest you're on, this search for answers that drives you, that pushes you to chase sighting after sighting, has become mine as well. We're in this thing together and from now on I intend to be with you every time you take off to search for answers. And you'd better not ever leave me behind because if you do I will make you regret it for a very long time."

Michael turned to stare at her, blown away by what she had said. He hadn't considered that she would be interested in being with him anymore, much less think about ever going on another one of his trips after the fiasco this last one had turned into.

"I don't want you to get hurt, Michael," she said, the anger draining from her voice. "Not emotionally or physically, and I know maybe that's unrealistic, but if you do you have to let me help you." She shook her head and blinked against the tears she could feel filling her eyes. "Anything less is unacceptable because when you hurt, I hurt."

Michael was across the room in less than half a dozen steps when he heard her voice crack and saw the first tear slip down her cheek. He gathered her into his arms and held her tightly, hoping he could find a way to assure her that he wasn't going anywhere. Her arms slid around his waist and he felt her relax slightly and let her weight rest against him.

*****

Catherine looked down when John's hand wrapped around her arm and he shook his head, warning her to stay quiet as he tugged her along with him. They had heard the shouting as soon as they had walked through the front door and they had made it as far as the hallway before John had stopped her from going any further.

"John, where are we going?"

"Outside."

"Why? I should go make sure he's okay," Catherine protested, trying to free her arm from his grasp.

"That's why." John led the way around the house and down to the barn, stepping into the dim interior before releasing her. He had just barely kept her from charging in to defend Michael when Maria had called him on his behavior from the night before, knowing that it was a conversation the young couple didn't need her to be involved in.

"John, he's upset – "

"Maria's handling him just fine." He shook his head at his wife's stubborn expression. "And it's not just about whether or not she can handle him – he's lettin' her in, Cath, and she's done nothin' to deserve your hostility. You of all people know what it takes for him to open up and let anyone in… accept it for what it is, woman. The boy's in love with her, they've got a connection that's strong and it's only getting stronger, and you're not gonna come between them."

"I can see the connection between them," she admitted slowly. The depth of their connection was unmistakable and it was becoming more and more difficult to deny. Something inside of her was telling her that Michael was going to be fine with Maria; that the young woman was going to love and protect him with everything she had.

"Then ease up on them. I've been where he is, Catherine, and I know it hasn't been so long that you've forgotten. Don't you remember how my mom started actin' when we got together?"

"I'm not – " Catherine started, upset with the comparison.

"Yes, you are!" John interrupted firmly. "You're actin' the same way, and if you keep goin' like this you're gonna end up expectin' him to choose between his mother and the woman he loves. Don't force his hand and make him make that choice."

"What're you talking about? Your mom never…" Catherine frowned at him when he braced his right hand against the nearest stall and looked down at the ground. Out of nowhere she realized that while she was aware of the problems her mother-in-law had had with their relationship, John had never told her what had been said the last time he had gone to talk to her, attempting to bridge the chasm that had started to widen between them as his relationship with Catherine grew. "John?"

"I have no regrets about the choices I made," he stated fiercely. "Yes, it cost me my relationship with my mother, but she made the choice to take herself out of my life when I wouldn't walk away from you. She thought we were too young, that we were just out lookin' to get into trouble, that we were bein' irresponsible and makin' the biggest mistake of our lives… I never expected her to make an ultimatum like that. Hell, I knew she didn't approve of us getting together – she certainly didn't hide her feelings on the subject – but, that night, when she stood in the middle of the kitchen and told me that I had a choice to make…" He shook his head. "I know she thought she was doin' what was right for me, that she thought she was protectin' me from makin' a huge mistake, but it was never a choice for me." His hand shook as he pointed back towards the house. "It won't be a choice for Michael either, Catherine. I don't regret my decision and I wouldn't do it differently if I could go back, but it still hurts like hell that she went to her grave before we could find a way to fix our relationship."

Catherine opened her mouth to speak but before she could say a word he turned and walked out of the barn, leaving her alone.


	63. Chapter 62

**Part 62**

Max leaned on his putter and watched with undisguised amusement as Liz used every bit of scientific knowledge she possessed to line up the next shot. When she was finally satisfied that she had everything worked out she hit the golf ball and watched it with anticipation as it raced along the green carpet. When it reached the hole at the other end and slowly rolled around the rim before settling against the edge of the curb she straightened up and frowned at it. He leaned around her and glanced at the small sign on her other side, grinning at her when she looked up and caught him.

"Don't even say it," she warned, laughing. "What? You think you can sink it in one shot?"

"Well, I don't wanna brag or anything, but on family nights when my parents insist that we all go out and play mini golf, I am the reigning champion."

"You're the reigning champion… of mini golf?"

"Okay, technically, Isabel holds that title, but that's only because she cheats."

"Your sister _cheats_ at mini golf?" Liz asked, laughing.

Max turned to look at Liz when he heard the teasing tone in her voice. "You don't believe me?"

"How does one cheat at this game?"

He held his right hand up and wiggled his fingers, nodding when her eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Huh-uh." _Of course, those alien powers would come in handy._

Max nodded vigorously. "Oh, yeah, every time."

"Do you guys use those…" She cast about for a suitable word since they were in a public place. "Do you use those abilities very often?"

"On occasion; I think Isabel's abilities are a little more varied than mine because she likes to test her boundaries to see what she can do. She's always trying something new out."

He swung the putter gently, hitting the ball and sending it rolling along the green carpet in a straight line. Seconds later it dropped into the hole with a resounding _thunk_ as it landed in the plastic cup.

Liz laughed at him when his arms shot up in the air in a show of victory. "Okay, champ, let's see how you do on the next one," she challenged as they moved on to the next putting green.

*****

Michael loosened his hold when Maria leaned back in his arms to look up at him. "I'll try to not be such a jerk next time, Maria. This is new for me, y'know?" He cradled her face in his big, rough hands, and leaned down to kiss her. "I'm not used to lettin' anybody see that much of me."

"You weren't weak last night, Michael. I know you think you were and you probably think I feel the same way, but I don't." _Michael wasn't so different from men on Earth; showing weakness, or what passed off as weakness in their minds, was forbidden, God only knew why._

Michael sighed. "I know." It didn't mean that he was going to behave differently. This was just how he reacted and he had a hard time seeing himself changing.

"Do you?" she asked, studying him intently.

"I know you don't think so." He shrugged as he dropped his gaze. "I can't change the way I feel just like that."

"You do know I'm not gonna stop trying to change your way of thinking, right?" she asked, a happy smile on her face. She was glad to see him in a better mood.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know." He turned his head to follow her curious gaze when her eyes locked on something behind him.

She reached out to brush her fingers over the teddy bear's fur. "Yours?"

"Mine," he confirmed, picking it up and handing it to her.

"What's his name?"

"Teddy."

Maria smirked. "That's very original."

A loud voice startled them. "Hey, you guys are back."

They looked up to see Maggie lounging in the bathroom doorway between the bedrooms.

"Hey, brat."

"So, guess you didn't catch an intergalactic flight. Or did they just send you back to Earth when they discovered your tragic taste in music?" Her flippant words hid the fear that he might really leave one day.

"What makes you think I'd go anywhere?" Michael asked, aware of her fears thanks to Maria. "Besides, I haven't had the opportunity to meet your date from last night yet."

_And you won't,_ Maggie thought furiously. "You still might not get the opportunity."

"Scared him off already, huh?" Michael smirked.

If looks could kill, Michael would be one dead alien. "No, Mom invited him over for dinner tonight, but I'm not sure he's gonna show."

"Why?" Michael's tone was nonplussed.

"Do you know how Dad answered the door last night? With his shotgun, Michael, and he sat right there in the living room and cleaned it while telling them about – " She looked up when their father knocked on the bedroom door.

"Maggie, your company's here," he said, holding back a smile. He glanced at his son and his girlfriend when Maggie hurried away. "I'm glad to see you two made it back safe and sound."

"Yeah, wasn't much to see," Michael said, missing his father's shocked expression when he turned to set Teddy back on the shelf. "It actually turned out to be a prank." He shrugged. "Maybe next time. What's for dinner?"

"I have no idea, but, Maria, you're welcome to stay and join us."

"That sounds very nice, thank you," Maria said, smiling. Michael's father was the best and he was so lucky to have John in his life. He was overprotective of his daughter, but whose father wasn't? _Well, hers, for one,_ she thought.

"So, Dad, you threatened the boyfriend with bodily harm, huh?" Michael nodded in approval. "Nice."

"Date," John corrected. "He was her _date_, and I didn't make a single threat… not verbally, anyway. I thought you said this kid was in the chess club?"

"He's supposed to be. Why?" Michael asked, surprised at his father's tone. _Was there something wrong with the guy?_

"I think your wires got crossed somewhere, Son," John muttered.

Michael frowned. "He's here now?"

"Um-hmm."

The non-comment pushed Michael into action. He had to see this guy, now. Taking Maria's hand, he dragged her with him on his next mission. "C'mon, Maria, I'm hungry."

John mouthed a silent _thank you_ to Maria when they passed him on their way to the kitchen. Their trip obviously hadn't had the desired results in regards to the sighting, but the change in his son was apparent. Normally after one of these trips he was withdrawn and angry, but this was new behavior for him in the wake of another disappointment, and John knew that it could be directly linked to Maria.

*****

Isabel grabbed the ringing phone at her mother's request when she walked into the kitchen. She smiled when she recognized her grandmother's voice on the other end and they carried on a lengthy conversation while she sat at the table and watched her mother making preparations for dinner.

After a while the phone changed hands and she talked to her grandfather, laughing and rolling her eyes when he asked how many young men her father had threatened and run off lately.

"Daddy doesn't run off my dates."

"Not for lack of trying," Phillip Evans said as he walked in and caught part of the conversation between his daughter and his father-in-law.

"Daddy!"

He chuckled at her admonishment and opened the refrigerator to fill the glass in his hand with iced tea. He turned to talk to his wife for a moment, letting her know he was going to run to the hardware store for a part he needed to fix the washing machine.

Isabel covered the mouthpiece when she noticed her father checking his pocket to make sure his wallet and checkbook were both there. "Are you going somewhere?" she asked.

"I'm just gonna run to the store; I'll be back before long."

"We're still on for the movie tonight, right?"

"I'm not missing a chance to take my little girl out for the evening," Phillip said as he leaned down to drop a kiss on her head. "I'll pick you up at seven, sweetie."

Diane smiled at their interaction; Phillip had been thrilled when Isabel had asked him if he wanted to go to a movie on a Saturday night. He had finally accepted that dating was something that she was going to do no matter how much he wanted to lock her in her room until she was at least thirty, but he was still adjusting to the fact that his little girl was nearly grown and would soon be leaving for college.

She had declined their invitation to join them, deciding that it would be good for them to spend some time together. She had made plans to meet with some friends later and they were going out for coffee after dinner. She accepted the phone after her daughter had said goodbye to her grandparents, nodding when the teenager said she was going upstairs to get ready for her evening with her father.

Isabel stood in the kitchen doorway, listening to her mother's conversation as she wondered about her biological parents. Who was she most like… her mother or her father? And why were she and Max so different? He was so trusting, loving, and nice while she was untrusting, cold, and mean most of the time. Shouldn't they be more alike?

She sighed, knowing that the answers to the questions weren't going to be revealed unless they found evidence of their past. _Could the letter lead them to the answers? Were the answers in the letter? Or was it a waste of time and too risky like her brother believed it to be?_ She turned to go to her room, no closer to having an answer to the question Alex had asked her the day before.

*****

Michael stood in the kitchen doorway, eyes narrowed as he stared at the guy flirting with his sister. "You're not in the chess club," he blurted out, drawing their attention. The guy was a little under six feet tall with dark hair and blue eyes. He wore glasses that he was constantly adjusting and Michael couldn't decide if that was because they didn't fit right or because he was nervous.

"Michael, be nice," Maria said, hitting his chest with the back of her hand as she moved to stand in front of him.

"Uh, no, I'm not in the chess club. I do play chess though."

The boy held his hand out and Michael only accepted the handshake after Maria shoved her elbow into his ribs.

"Jesse Serrano," he introduced himself.

"You on the football team?" His gaze turned speculative when Jesse shook his head negatively. "Uh-huh, basketball team?"

Maggie shot a pleading glance at Maria when her brother continued to stare at Jesse without releasing his hand.

Maria took pity on her and decided that a little intervention was needed. "Michael, why don't you grab your snack and then we can take a walk before dinner?"

"What?" He finally let go of the handshake and his gaze shifted to Maria when she turned to look at him. "We don't need to go for a walk; I wanna talk to…" He shook his head, unconsciously mimicking her movements. He frowned when she turned to shake Jesse's hand and introduced herself before sending the boy back to Maggie and turning back to face him.

"We're going for a walk," she said firmly.

_What? No, he had questions for this guy! _"We don't need to go for a walk, Maria. Besides, didn't you get enough walkin' last night? I wanna talk to what's-his-name and – "

"You need to stop being rude to him, grab your snack because you haven't eaten anything since yesterday, and go for a walk with me." Maria watched him as he made a face, torn between going with her and taking care of the guy who thought he could date Maggie. He was so cute, being all brotherly. Not that she would ever tell him that.

"What is your preoccupation with goin' for a walk?"

Maria stretched up to kiss him and leaned back in his arms when they automatically came around her. "I really have no interest in going for a walk; I just think that if your parents catch us making out in your bedroom we're gonna have – "

"Goin' for a walk's a great idea." He grabbed her hand and turned to lead her out of the room. "Tell Mom we'll be back in time for dinner, brat," he called over his shoulder.

Jesse leaned back against the counter next to Maggie and reached up to take his glasses off. "Why exactly are we leadin' your brother to believe that I'm somebody I'm not?" he asked once they were alone.

"Because trying to figure out who you are is going to drive him crazy."

"Uh-huh." He shook his head. "I still don't get it."

"That's because you're an only child." She smiled at him. "Don't worry; it's not important for you to understand my need to torment Michael."

Jesse shrugged and slid the glasses back on, willing to forego his regular contact lenses and wear the glasses if it made her happy.

*****

Liz thanked the waiter as he removed the dishes from the table and left her and Max alone once more. She had been trying to get him to talk about himself all day, but every time he had carefully steered the conversation in other directions. Isabel was nice enough… _well, okay, she didn't really seem all that nice_… but, Liz wasn't interested in learning about his sister. She wanted to know more about him, but he was doing his best to avoid talking about himself.

She had asked him earlier about how he had grown up and somehow he had maneuvered the conversation around and now he was talking about how Isabel had adjusted to life with their adoptive parents.

"Max." She reached out to cover his right hand where it rested on the table and she sighed in relief when he looked at her and fell silent. "Max, your sister is fascinating and I definitely know a lot more about her after today, but you're the one I want to know about."

He looked confused for a moment before he realized what she was talking about. He nodded and turned his hand over, linking his fingers with hers. "I'm sorry," he said with a sheepish smile. "I'm not used to talking about myself, so it's easier to talk about Isabel while just mentioning something about myself every once in a while."

"I know you love your family and I do enjoy hearing about them, but I wanna know more about you."

Max nodded and smiled. "Are you ready to go?"

"Where're we going?"

"You wanna know more about me, right?"

"Definitely."

"Then let me introduce you to… me." He stood and tugged her to her feet. "C'mon."


	64. Chapter 63

**Part 63**

Isabel stood in front of the open closet in her bedroom; her dark gaze was locked on the clothes hanging from the rack but her mind wasn't on choosing an outfit suitable for hanging out with her dad on a Saturday night.

She pulled the chair from her desk over to the closet and stepped up on it, reaching up to the shelf above the clothes rack to push several things aside. She glanced at the door to her bedroom, making sure it was shut before turning her attention to the wall at the back of the closet. She slid her hand over one of the boards, loosening it from the wall and reaching into the gap to retrieve the shoebox that she kept hidden.

Holding onto it she stepped back down and crossed the room to sit down on her bed. She lifted the lid off and reached inside, picking up the stack of journals that she had kept since her dad had given her one for her seventh birthday. She opened it slowly and flipped through the pages, her eyes scanning over the sentences written in her eight-year-old handwriting. The pages separated and the journal lay open to the date of February 14, 1992; she couldn't help the feelings that washed over her as she turned to look at the flowers carefully wrapped in cellophane and lined up on the bottom of the box. There were ten in all, one for each Valentine's Day since the third grade; her fingers brushed over the aged flowers as she wondered once more who thought enough of her to leave them year after year despite her cruel response.

Whoever it was had no idea that she had kept the roses. Each year she had made sure that everyone in class believed that the shredded flower had been thrown away, and each year she had hidden it until she had gotten home where she could put it away where no one would find it… fully restored and just as beautiful as it had been the moment she had first seen it.

For so long she had been afraid of letting anyone get too close, certain that protecting the truth about herself was more important than developing relationships of any kind. She envied Max for having someone to confide in, someone he could open up to without fear of rejection.

_You do have that,_ she thought as she carefully placed the journals and flowers back into the shoebox and carefully placing the lid on it once more. For the first time in her life she had someone she could truly call a friend, someone who would be there no matter who was around or what was going on.

Feeling better than she had all day she put the shoebox back in its hiding place, sparing one more brief thought for the person who had left the flowers on her desk each year on Valentine's Day, before browsing through her closet in search of an outfit to wear for her evening out with her dad.

*****

Liz glanced around at her surroundings, trying to pinpoint their location without success. She had quickly lost her bearings once Max had driven out of Roswell's city limits and the fading daylight wasn't helping her to decipher their surroundings. They had driven for more than an hour before he had pulled over on the side of the road.

"Where are we?" she asked finally.

Max took a deep breath and held it for several seconds before releasing it. "This is where we were found when we were six years old."

Liz looked around once more. "Here?" There was nothing but open desert in all directions. "Max, there's nothing out here."

He nodded. "I know. I don't even know how many hours I've spent out here, walking around, hoping I'd feel something… I don't know, familiar."

"Nothing?" she guessed.

"No. I've never been driven to find my origins, but I'd like to at least know why we were left here the way we were. When I was younger I really wanted to know, but it always bothered Isabel; she's terrified of exposure and it didn't mean enough to me to keep worrying her every time I'd come out here."

Liz looked at him and she could see the acceptance in his eyes. He wanted answers but he had set aside any expectations to give his sister peace of mind.

"You're satisfied with your life here?"

"Yeah."

"Do you ever think about going back to wherever you came from?"

"Not really. I mean, there's a part of me that wonders what that other place must be like and sometimes I wonder if this is what I looked like before… I don't know if we look human so we'd blend in here or if this is what we really look like." He smiled sheepishly. "Is that too weird?"

"No," Liz insisted. "Max, if you guys didn't know anything when your parents took you home, how did they explain that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you must've reacted pretty strongly to new things, new experiences since you had never seen them or experienced them."

Max looked as though he had never asked himself those questions. "I guess they just thought it was because we were found wandering in the desert with no memory of anything before that."

"Was it different for you? Being an alien and growing up human?"

He shrugged. "I guess I don't really know if it was any different. We never got sick or anything, but I think most of our childhood experiences were fairly normal. If they weren't it probably would've thrown up a red flag or something, right?"

She pondered his question for several moments. "Have you ever considered that your parents know that you guys are somehow different? That maybe they've just never said anything because they don't want you to know that they know?"

"Why wouldn't they say anything if they suspected we weren't human?"

"I'm not saying they've made that connection, but maybe they know there's something different about you. They may just think you're gifted, that you have some sort of abilities that they know they can't draw attention to."

Max shook his head negatively. "I don't think so, Liz."

She had a feeling that his denial had more to do with the fear that if his parents ever discovered the truth about him and Isabel they wouldn't want them as their children any longer. "Do you ever worry that someone from your planet will ever show up to take you… home?" Liz asked, wondering if he would go if approached by his own kind.

"Not really. I mean, if someone was gonna come for us, surely they would've shown up by now, don't you think?" He glanced at her, searching her expression in the shadows for her thoughts.

"That would make sense."

"I used to want that, but now, I'm really not interested. I like it here; this is my home now, I love my family, and I've got you." He shook his head. "I wouldn't trade that for anything."

Liz shifted in her seat, reaching out to turn his face to her as she leaned closer to kiss him. "Neither would I," she said quietly.

*****

Maria glanced at Michael when he leaned back in his chair and the fingers of his right hand started drumming out an annoyed rhythm on the table. He was staring at the young man seated next to Maggie, his expression perplexed as he tried to match a name to the face.

"You sure you don't play basketball?" he asked after several minutes.

Jesse looked up from his conversation with Maggie and her father and shook his head. "No, I don't."

"Uh-huh, and you play chess, but you're not in the chess club?"

"Nope, not in the chess club either."

"Michael, why don't you occupy your mouth with food and stop interrogating Jesse," Maggie suggested with a warning glare. Inside, however, she was having a laughing fit over her brother's annoying behavior.

"Why don't you shut it and let me talk," he snapped.

"Hey, man, don't talk to her like that."

Maggie beamed when Jesse stepped up to her defense, mindless of her brother's wrath when provoked. His defense was sweet, but totally unnecessary; Michael was just being Michael and she knew to not take his behavior personally when he was like this. Jesse, though, was an only child, so he didn't understand the dynamic that existed between siblings.

Maria's right hand settled on Michael's thigh under the table, squeezing it in warning when she felt him tense up at the other boy's words. She could understand Jesse's reaction; it wasn't that long ago that she had been in his position, witnessing the brother and sister's interactions for the first time.

Michael suddenly leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest as he nodded in satisfaction. "You're the one that got special permission to do all your schooling from home at the beginning of the year," he said. "You come in once a month for testing to make sure you're keepin' up with the learnin' pace… and you don't normally wear glasses."

Jesse shook his head. "No, I don't wear glasses; it's inconvenient to keep pushin' 'em up when you're chasin' after cattle all day."

"You're not in school?" John asked, his tone inquiring.

"No, sir, not in the traditional sense."

"Why is that?"

Maggie's eyes widened in disbelief when her father asked the one question she had hoped to avoid during dinner. "Jess, would you help Mom with that roast? She likes to carve it before she brings it to the table and she's not very handy with a carving knife."

"Sure." He placed his napkin on the table and stood up. "Can I put my contacts in now?"

"Yes, of course." She waited until he had disappeared into the kitchen before she turned on her father and brother. "Do you think you two could cool it with the inquisition?" she hissed.

"Is it a state secret why he's not in school?" John asked, confused.

"His father had a stroke during the summer and it left him paralyzed on one side; he can't talk and he can't do much of anything for himself. Jesse's been running the family ranch in his father's place and the only time he has to do his schoolwork is at night. His dad's his best friend and this has been devastating for him, so if you two would back off on the questions I'd appreciate it."

"Honey, why didn't you just tell me what was goin' on so I could've avoided steppin' all over the kid's toes?"

Maggie shrugged her shoulders at her father's question. "I guess it didn't occur to me that you'd ask about anything personal since you did meet him at the front door with a shotgun last night. Which was totally unnecessary, Dad; Jesse's a perfect gentleman." She looked across the table at her brother, pinning him in place with her dark eyes.

"You don't get to jump my case either, brat; if you hadn't wanted to play games with me I wouldn't have been tryin' to figure out who he is. One word's all it would've taken and you know I would've backed off."

"Fine, I take responsibility for you sticking your foot in your mouth… this time. Just find something else to talk to him about; he doesn't get many chances to get off the ranch and do things people our age normally get to do. I'd like for him to relax a little bit, okay?"

*****

Philip Evans glanced at his daughter as they sat on a bench outside of the movie theater; they had half an hour before the movie started and they had decided to wait outside. She had been quiet throughout the evening, not saying much at the restaurant or as they walked to the theater.

"What's on your mind, honey?" he asked.

"What?" Isabel turned her head to look at her father, not surprised that he had picked up on her contemplative mood. "I've just been thinking a lot lately… about…" She swallowed hard, unsure of how to approach the subject with him.

Philip nodded, certain he knew why she was hesitant about revealing her thoughts. "Let me guess – you've been thinking about your biological parents, right?"

Surprise found its way onto her features this time. "How did you know?"

"It only makes sense that you would wonder about them, honey. You're almost eighteen, looking at going away to college pretty soon and starting your own life, so…" He gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "We searched for your biological parents years ago when we first brought you home but we never did turn up anything." He hugged her to his side and rubbed her shoulder. "Why didn't you say anything about this?"

"Because Max doesn't want anything to do with it."

"Ah, you don't want him to know you're looking for some answers on your own," he guessed.

"Well, not exactly on my own," she admitted. "I um, I have a… a friend, Alex, and he's been helping me." She frowned. "Actually, it's more like I've been helping him because he knows a lot more about research than I do."

Philip raised an eyebrow at her comment. "And who is Alex?"

"Daddy," she complained when she heard his teasing tone. "He's my friend… to be completely honest, he's the best friend I've ever had. You'll like him."

Her tone was confident and Philip merely nodded in response; they never talked about the guys she dated. He met them of course, but only because he didn't allow any guy to take his daughter out without meeting him first. Isabel rarely went out with them more than a few times and she had never once spoken of any of the guys the way she had about this young man he had yet to meet. He could hear the respect underlying her words as she talked about Alex and he wondered if her feelings for the boy went deeper than that.

"You won't tell Max that I'm looking for our biological parents, right, Daddy? You know how he gets and it wouldn't be fair for Alex to have to deal with him."

"Not a word, but if you need any help I want you to tell me. Promise?"

Isabel nodded. "Promise." She couldn't reveal the whole truth, but it felt good to be able to confide in her father. "Does it bother you that I wanna look for them?"

"Bother me? No, I just want you to be careful and let me know if you need anything." He tugged her closer to drop a kiss on her head. "I know where your mom and I stand with you, honey, so don't ever be afraid that looking into your past will change that; we're gonna love you and your brother no matter what you find."

"Thank you, Daddy!" She turned to throw her arms around his neck and hug him. "I love you." She finally had her answer; she knew what she was going to tell Alex when she saw him the next day.

*****

Max leaned back against the windshield and braced his feet on the hood as Liz settled into his arms. He reached around her to pick up the blanket he had brought along, shaking it out and draping it over them. He pointed at the sky, directing her attention to a specific star constellation, easily visible from their location out in the desert.

"That's Leo," Liz said, following his pointing finger.

"Um-hmm, just keep watching it."

They talked for a long time and Liz was content to listen to him as he pointed out different constellations and described the history behind their names. She knew most of them, but he was relaxed and talking with ease so she didn't interrupt him, letting him ramble on until the first white light sped across the sky. It seemed to come directly from the constellation Leo, and she was startled to realize what Max had brought her out to the desert to see. She sat up suddenly and turned to look at him, just as more of the meteors raced across the sky.

"The Leonids meteor shower?"

Max smiled at her awed question and nodded. "You said once that you'd never seen them."

She turned back to the sky, her gaze glued to the amazing light show. "Max, I must've said that…"

"Ninth grade science class," he said, finishing the sentence for her.

"Oh, my God, it's amazing," she whispered.

Max let the feeling of pure happiness wash over him as he watched her, seeing the joy on her face as she witnessed an event she had waited her entire life to see. He knew it was temporary, but he had succeeded in making her forget about her problems with Maria for the day. It would have to be dealt with eventually, but for tonight, he wanted to pretend that his secret hadn't caused a rift in her relationship with her best friend, that they were simply two normal teenagers spending a night stargazing.


	65. Chapter 64

**Part 64**

Sundays were usually quiet at the Whitman house but in a completely unexpected turn of events Alex had had found himself sitting on the front porch between his parents while they disagreed about how his recent… run-in with the school bullies should have been handled. He couldn't imagine a more uncomfortable way to spend the day until his bored gaze lifted from his hands and he saw Isabel crossing the street and coming towards his house.

"Look, Mom, Dad, do you think maybe you guys could discuss this without me?"

"Sit down, Alex," his father instructed.

"Charles, you're getting worked up over this and it's completely unnecessary," Elaine said as she reached out to pat his hand where it was pressed against the table.

"Unnecessary?" He pushed his glasses up higher on his nose and looked at her in shock. "Elaine, you're encouraging the boy to take a self-defense class."

"What could it possibly hurt for him to know how to defend himself if the situation calls for it?" She shook her head. "Charles, you didn't see him when he came home after that fight."

"Well, three against one isn't exactly fair odds. Even if I agreed to this self-defense class I don't see how it would help with odds like that. Fighting back isn't going to stop bullies from picking on the boy." He sighed. "Guys like that will always pick on boys who are smaller, weaker, and smarter, that's just the way it works."

Alex slipped further down in his chair and wished for the power of invisibility to suddenly become his. There was no way Isabel could have avoided hearing his father's last comment; thanks to her genetics she had above-average hearing and she wasn't that far away either.

Elaine turned to follow her son's disbelieving gaze when he slid down in his chair and she smiled at the young woman who had paused at the bottom of the steps. "Isabel, how are you today?"

"I'm fine, thank you. How are you?"

"Enjoying this unusually beautiful weather," she said as she motioned to her husband. "I don't believe you've met my husband. Charles, this is Isabel."

Isabel stepped up onto the porch and shook the man's proffered hand. "You must be very proud of Alex."

"What? I mean, yes, of course." Charles glanced between his son and the beautiful girl. "Um, why?"

_Thanks, Dad,_ Alex thought morosely. _Way to be supportive._

"For agreeing to take the self-defense class." She took the seat across from Alex and smiled at him before turning her attention back to his father. "When my father suggested that I should take the class I didn't want to do it, but Alex convinced me that you can never be too safe." She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I'm sure he didn't tell you, but I only agreed to take the class if he took it too."

"Oh, so you and Alex…" He waved his hand between them. "You're friends?"

Isabel met Alex's gaze across the table and an honest, genuine smile settled over her features. "He's the best friend I've ever had."

Elaine bit her bottom lip to control the smile that was trying so hard to escape when she saw her son's expression. The young woman that he was so crazy about had just declared that he was her best friend; it wasn't exactly a declaration of love, but it was another step in their slowly growing relationship and she could tell he was ecstatic about it.

"Your parents encouraged you to take a self-defense class?"

Isabel nodded. It wasn't a complete lie; she had taken a self-defense class a couple of years ago at her parents' urging. She hadn't really bothered to pay much attention though because she had a built-in self-defense system that they didn't know about.

"Well, I suppose a young woman can never be too safe in this day and age," Charles mused. "How much is this class going to set me back?"

"It's a community-sponsored program, Charles," Elaine spoke up. "Alex, I'm sure Isabel didn't come by to talk to us, so why don't the two of you go on and let your father and I talk for a bit."

Isabel tried not to laugh at Alex when he jumped at the opportunity to get away from his parents and she managed to hold it in until they were alone.

"Go ahead, laugh it up," he grumbled as they entered his room and he flopped down on his bed. "Thanks for sayin' what you said to change his mind though."

"Your father's a pacifist, isn't he?"

He sighed. "Yeah. And as a rule, I tend to be the same way, but it just seems like a guy should be able to defend himself if it becomes necessary."

"I agree with you, Alex."

He sat up and looked at her. "So, other than convincin' my dad that I need to take a self-defense class, what brings you by?"

"You know what we were talking about on Friday night? You asked me what I wanted to do once we find a code talker that's close enough for us to talk to, remember?"

Alex nodded. "I haven't forgotten." He watched her as she settled down in one of the desk chairs. "You've made your decision," he guessed.

"I talked to my dad last night and he knows that I've decided to look for my biological parents."

Alex pulled his legs up on the bed, crossing them Indian-style as he propped his elbows on his knees. "That was a big step. He's okay with that?"

Isabel smiled fondly as she thought about her father. He was the best. "Yeah. He and my mom actually looked for them when they first brought us home, so he doesn't think we'll find anything."

"We?" Alex asked eagerly. She had talked to her dad about him?

Isabel turned to look at him. He seemed surprised that she had mentioned him to her father. She sighed. _Was she that superficial? Is that how she really was up until just recently?_ "I told my dad about you; that you've been doing most of the research and I've been helping you."

He nodded. It was a good thing to have her father's approval; it was one less thing to worry about. There was still Max, though. "You don't think he'll tell your brother?"

"No, I asked him to keep it just between us." She looked down at her hands, studying a miniscule chip in her fingernail polish. "I told him that you're my best friend," she admitted quietly.

"I'm honored." He shook his head when her gaze shot to him, searching for some hidden meaning behind his words. "I'm not makin' fun of you, Isabel, I'm bein' completely honest. Friendship is somethin' that I don't take lightly."

"No, I know you don't take it lightly." She sighed as she leaned back in the chair. "That's why you tried to convince me that your friend Maria could be trusted with our secret, isn't it? You have no reason to believe that she would ever betray you… or us."

"No, she would never do that."

"So, knowing me and Max, knowing our secret, has destroyed your relationship with one of your oldest friends."

"Isabel, it's true that this secret is where it all started, but the choice to keep Maria out of the loop was ours. You made threats and you were vocal about your feelings in regards to her knowin' the truth, but you didn't make us do what we did to her; the responsibility for that choice belongs to us and we have to live with it."

Isabel pondered his words. Despite his speech she knew that she was responsible for the destruction of Alex' friendship with Maria; her fear had overridden everything else and she hadn't been able to trust Alex and Liz' opinions about Maria DeLuca. "Do you think you'll ever be able to fix it?"

Alex heard her hopeful tone. She was definitely on the right path to accepting Maria. The problem now was that Maria might not be on the right path to take him and Liz back. "I have to believe that it's possible. That at some point you guys will be comfortable enough and feel safe enough to open yourselves up to the possibility of letting her in on the secret. I know how Maria comes across when you first meet her, but she's got this inner core of strength and loyalty that is unwavering. I don't know if we've pushed her so far away that it's just a fantasy to think that we can repair our friendship, but I have to believe that she'll be able to forgive us when the time comes."

"You trust her that much?" Isabel asked, deep in thought. _Would Maria really accept the truth?_

Alex' answer was firm. "More."

Isabel nodded, seeing for the first time how much losing his friend had cost him on an emotional level. "I guess we'd better get to work on that translation if we're ever gonna discover my past and fix your future with your friend." She knew it was the right thing to say as soon as she saw the hopeful smile on his face.

*****

Alex had a free period on Tuesday afternoon and he was making use of it by sitting in the library, studying for Friday's test in Psychology. He looked up when the library door swung shut with a bang and the librarian standing behind the counter shushed whoever had dared to make so much noise.

He frowned when Isabel ignored the older woman and rushed over to him, her expression filled with worry. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"It's Max and Liz; they've been in an accident, Alex."

He closed his books as he stood up. "Let's go."

Several aisles over Maria slid a book about the French and Indian War back onto the shelf and hurried after them. She had her mother's car so she wouldn't have a problem catching up with them at the hospital. _How had Liz gotten into an accident with Max?_ she wondered. _Liz had class fourth period, so why would she be somewhere else?_ She grabbed her things and shoved her books in her backpack before running out of the library and heading to the parking lot. She just hoped Liz was okay. They weren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment, but she didn't want anything to happen to her.

*****

Alex followed Isabel as she ran in the direction the nurse had directed them to take and they quickly found the room that had been assigned to Max. He pulled Liz to him, giving her a hug when he saw how shaken she looked, and he listened to her as she recounted Max's efforts to avoid hitting a horse that had run across the road. His gaze settled on Isabel, watching her as she observed the nurse standing on the other side of the room, labeling a vial of blood.

"Are you sure they said he's gonna be all right?" Isabel asked, worried by how pale he looked.

"They said he's gonna be fine," Liz assured her.

"We have to get that blood," she hissed when the woman left them alone. "If they run tests they're gonna see that it's not human. We have to replace it before they can do that."

"It's gotta come from a guy," Liz said. "They can tell the difference between male and female blood."

Alex glanced around, knowing that he was the pincushion of choice. "Okay, let's get this over with."

"I'll get the things we'll need," Liz said as she slipped out of the room.

"I hope you know what you're doin'," Alex muttered several minutes later as he watched the needle in Liz's hand inch closer to his skin.

"I volunteered here last summer. I saw them do this a thousand times," Liz said, her voice shaky. She was still upset about the accident and worried about Max's condition.

Isabel rolled her eyes as she watched them. Liz's hesitation wasn't inspiring confidence and the longer it took for her to draw his blood, the more nervous he was getting. "Okay, look, just let me do it," she said, taking the needle from the other girl. "We have to hurry up; if we don't switch their blood before they examine the sample they took from Max they're gonna call the authorities and you know what's gonna happen then."

*****

At the hospital Maria ran inside and the nurse at the front desk gave her directions to the room where she could find her friend. She passed several patient rooms and a waiting room before she spotted the room number she was looking for. She was about to go inside when she heard Isabel's hushed voice coming from the waiting room.

"_We have to hurry up; if we don't switch their blood before they examine the sample they took from Max they're gonna call the authorities and you know what's gonna happen then."_

Maria frowned and started to walk into the waiting room but was pushed backwards when Alex stepped out first and bumped right into her.

"Uh, Maria! What're you doin' here?"

Maria's gaze dropped down to his arm, zeroing in on the tiny white bandage taped to the inside of his elbow. "I think the better question is, what're _you_ doing here?" she countered. She shook her head when she saw the panic in his eyes as he scrambled for a plausible story to tell her. "Don't tell me another lie, Alex. I'd like to think we're beyond all of that now."

Isabel watched their interaction and her heart went out to Alex as he was backed into a corner. Next to her, Liz was fidgeting nervously and she just barely controlled the urge to snap at the girl. They were counting on Liz to switch the blood samples since she was the one who had volunteered at the hospital and the girl wasn't moving.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Maria said, turning to look at Liz.

Liz smiled gratefully at Maria. "Yeah, I'm fine; Max is the one who got hurt."

Maria nodded and her gaze slid down to the vial of blood Liz was trying to conceal. "I know what you're doing." She looked from Liz to Alex and back again. "I just hope you know how much trouble you're gonna be in if you ever get caught because this isn't the kind of thing that authorities just let go when they discover it."

"I swear it's nothing bad, Maria," Liz swore, worried at the path Maria's thoughts were taking. _Did she believe that she and Alex were drug addicts?_ She knew that she should correct her; she couldn't stand the thought of Maria believing that about her and Alex, but what could she say? She bit her lips and turned to silently plead with Isabel but the taller girl was borderline hysterical. The thought of Max being in the hospital and the possibility of his blood being analyzed was pushing her over the edge, Liz could see it. _There was no way she could tell Maria what it was really about, _she thought desperately.

"I wish I believed you." She turned and started walking back along the corridor that would take her back to the parking lot.

"Switch that sample," Alex said before hurrying after Maria.

He caught up with her in the parking lot and his left hand curled around the car door when she opened it. "Maria, don't leave like this," he pleaded.

"Are you gonna tell me what's going on? Because I'm sick of the lies, Alex. How many reasons are there for switching blood samples?" She shook her head and narrowed her eyes as she stared him down. "Tell me the truth, is it drugs? Is that what you're all involved in?"

"Is that what you think's goin' on? Do you honestly believe that Liz or I would get involved in drugs?" Alex asked, sad that it was one of the conclusions she had come to.

_The sad look? Not gonna work this time. _She was so sick of the lies. "Then tell me what to think, Alex. You start hanging out with two people who you've never so much as spoken to in all of our years of going to school together, you suddenly have all these secrets that you can't tell someone who's been your friend your whole life, you're always running off together for these clandestine little meetings or whatever it is you're doing, and now, after an accident that occurred when Liz should've been in class – which I can only assume means she's ditching class to hang out with Max Evans – I rush to the hospital to make sure she's alright and I overhear you guys talking about switching out blood samples so no one finds out why they were in an accident in the first place. Am I leaving anything out? Because if I am, I would really appreciate it if you'd enlighten me."

She dropped down in the drivers' seat and reached for the door, tugging on it when he didn't release it. _Why did they have to keep lying to her? Why couldn't they just tell her what was really going on? How had they been friends their whole lives only to come to this?_

Alex crouched down in the space between the open door and Maria, hoping she wouldn't continue trying to close the door on him. "Maria, I can't tell you what's goin' on right now; it's not my secret to tell no matter how much I want to."

Maria hit the steering wheel, frustrated with his answer. "Why, Alex? What could you possibly be hiding or protecting that you can't tell me about? When did I become someone that you couldn't trust?"

He looked into her hurt, confused green eyes and regret washed over him. "It was never because _you_ couldn't be trusted, Maria. God, if you believe nothin' else, please believe that."

*****

Maggie finished saddling Rascal and led him into the trailer, making sure he was secure before closing the trailer gate. She was walking around to the passengers' side of the truck when Maria pulled into the driveway.

"Hey, what's up?" she called, running up to her brother's girlfriend.

Maria stepped out of the car and paused to glance at the horse trailer hitched up behind a truck she didn't recognize. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah, we've got cattle loose out on the old highway; someone knocked one of our fences down. Michael's already out there," she said, guessing that the girl was there to see him. "You wanna ride with? This might take a while."

"Maggie, let's go!" Sage called as she laid on the horn.

Maria followed after Maggie as they ran to the truck, scrambling to get in and close the door before the girl's aunt pulled out of the driveway. She had needed to see Michael after the scene at the hospital; she didn't know what to think about what was going on with her friends and she needed something to anchor her.

She turned to look at Maggie, watching the girl as she pulled her long, black hair through the back of a baseball cap and tugged it down over her head. "Someone let your cattle out on purpose?"

"It's possible. All Michael said was that we had fences down and cattle on the road, but it wouldn't be the first time someone pulled one down." She glanced at Maria, sensing that something was bothering her. "So, you kinda seem like maybe you've got something on your mind. Everything okay?"

"It will be."

Maggie nodded, understanding that whatever it was, Maria didn't want to talk about it. "So, you're still stayin' over this weekend, right?"

Maria smiled. "Yeah."

"Cool. You're not gonna take it personally when we take their undefeated ranking, are you?" Maggie smiled wolfishly. She was going to win that game; she was already dreaming of that victory.

"No, although I do have to cheer for my home team." Maria shook her head. _If the rest of the team was anything like Maggie – hungry for blood – the Roswell team was as good as dead!_

"Understood. You might have to cheer pretty loud if you wanna be heard though; most of my family will be there, so you're gonna be surrounded by a pretty loud group."

"That's for sure," Sage agreed, laughing. "And you can bet the guys will be teasing you for cheering for the opposing team." She pointed at something up ahead and both girls turned to see what she was motioning at.

Cattle were scattered on both sides of the highway but it looked like they had been cleared off of the road itself. Sage pulled off on the side of the road, edging up close to a section of the fence that was intact and shut the engine off. Further up, on the other side of the damaged sections, another pickup truck with a stack of boards in the back was parked and two people were sitting on the tailgate.

"Maggie, get the horses unloaded. Maria, you stay with Shadow and Jacey over at the other truck."

Maria followed Sage's instructions, sitting between the cousins and talking while they watched the others mount up and ride out.

"So, rumor has it you're gonna be joining us for the big game this Friday night," Jacey said, glancing at the other girl.

"Yeah, you're not gonna be cheerin' for that bunch of losers from Roswell, are you?" Shadow asked, elbowing Maria as he shot a teasing grin at her.

Maria laughed. _She was still a Roswellian; that would never change. _"Well, it is my home team."

"Your home team that's goin' home with their undefeated title in shreds." Shadow leaned back and nodded at his cousin when she shouted something at one of the other riders. "Y'know, our team's gonna take that win on Friday night."

Maria smiled and leaned around Jacey as she tried to locate Michael amid the scattered cattle and other riders. "We'll see."

Jacey nudged her. "Grumpy's further out; you're not gonna be able to see him from here."

Maria grimaced, disappointed with that news. She so wanted to see Michael right now. "Oh. So, why aren't you guys out there?"

"I don't ride and Shadow has an aversion to getting his hands dirty."

"Shadow needs his hands undamaged for creating brilliant works of art," he interjected before his sister could damage his reputation any further. He held his hands up, waggling his fingers in her face. "These babies are gonna make me rich one day and if you behave yourself, I might just acknowledge your existence when I make it big."

Jacey rolled her eyes. "Aunt Sage called Uncle Aaron to help round the cattle up and he called Mom to have us haul a load of wood out here to repair the fence once the cattle have been brought back in. We're just the delivery people."

They watched as their uncle and Maggie brought about a dozen head of cattle from the opposite side of the road, herding them back onto their own land before going back for more.

"I think I see Grumpy," Jacey announced almost an hour later.

Maria leaned forward again, following the girl's pointing finger. She started to ask where Jacey saw him when she recognized his tall frame as he brought up the rear. He was wearing a baseball cap and she watched in fascination as one of the cows broke away from the herd and he and Sundance chased it down, turning it back towards the others.

Michael sighed tiredly as he and Sundance neared the road after rounding up the last of the loose cattle. He took his hat off and swiped his right arm across his forehead, wiping away the sweat that had formed there. He still had to repair the fence before he could even think about going home, and he wasn't interested in thinking about the homework he had waiting for him.

His spirits lifted when he reached up to put his hat back on and he noticed the girl sitting with his cousins. He hadn't been expecting to see her this early in the week and her presence made the last couple of hours worth it. He reined Sundance in as he reached the truck and he glared at his cousins. "Don't you two have somethin' you should be doin'?" he growled.

"I should be doing many things," Jacey answered with a bright smile. "Unfortunately, we got stuck hauling this stuff out here for you. And now that you're here you can take it off of our hands and I can go back to doing one of those many things that need my attention."

Shadow grinned at his cousin. "So, I was thinkin' that maybe I should do a story about you… somethin' with a western angle."

Michael groaned. His cousin had better not turn him into some kind of romantic cowboy in his story or he'd have to hunt him down and kill him. "I'm thinkin' you should unload that wood and get to work."

"These hands were never meant for manual labor," Shadow said proudly.

"Hey, don't look at me, Grumpy," Jacey said, shaking her head. "I've got study group tonight and since I'm not doing all that well in Geometry I can't afford to miss it."

Michael turned his head to look at Maria and just the slightest hint of a smile softened his features. "So, you drive all the way out here just to see me in action?"

"Yeah, something like that," Maria said quietly.

His eyes narrowed at her tone, easily picking up on the difference that indicated that something was wrong. "Can you hang here with me while I repair this fence and then I'll give you a ride back?"

"Sounds good."

Michael nodded. "C'mon, you two, let's get this stuff unloaded; I've still got a ton of homework waitin' for me when I'm done here." He dismounted as they started pulling the boards out of the bed of the truck and stacked them on the ground in front of the damaged section. "Hey, you okay?" he asked quietly as he moved to stand in front of Maria.

"I've been better," she admitted, throwing her arms around his neck when he was close enough.


	66. Chapter 65

**Author's Note: **_The Lost Child_ will be going on hiatus for just a few weeks while we post our new fic to introduce a new series we are working on: Guerin & DeLuca, P.I., which will begin posting on April 25, 2009. _The Lost Child _will return once posting of the introduction to the new series is complete.

**Part 65**

He could feel the tremors running through her just as soon as her body settled against his. "You wanna tell me what's got you so upset?" he whispered gruffly.

Maria shook her head in response to his question and he glanced at the activity going on around them. "Tell ya what," he offered as he leaned back to frame her face in his hands. "I can get rid of everybody pretty quickly if you don't mind givin' me a hand with some repairs."

"Okay."

Michael controlled the urge to demand an answer from her, not liking the lack of emotion in her voice. "Stay here, okay?"

She nodded and watched him as he led Sundance over to the trailer hitched up behind the truck Sage had driven.

"Hey, you guys interested in getting outta here without havin' to do any work?" he asked as he joined his cousins.

"What've you got in mind?" Shadow asked.

"You guys gonna need the truck for the next couple hours?"

Jacey shook her head as she glanced at her brother. "Nah, I've got study group but we're meetin' at our house so I'm good."

Shadow tapped his chin thoughtfully as he considered Michael's question. He turned to meet his sister's gaze and a look of silent communication passed between them. "So, your study group's gonna meet at the house tonight… Talia gonna be there?"

"I hope so; she's the only one who understands the stuff we're supposed to be learning."

"Um-hmm. I don't know, Cuz." He'd had a crush on his sister's best friend for the past two years; he knew the girl was never gonna give him the time of day but he could use this to his advantage. "This could be the night she agrees to let me drive her home, and I can't do that if you've got the truck."

Michael rolled his eyes. "What's it gonna cost me?"

"Well, y'know I'm coverin' the Christmas pageant at the Community Center next month." He grinned. "The story would be so much more powerful if it had a good photographer behind the camera."

"You want me to give up an entire Saturday night to take pictures of screamin' kids and a fat man in a red suit?" Michael roared. _God, what a way to spend a precious school-free day!_

"Doesn't it just make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, Grumpy?" Jacey asked with a grin.

"No, it makes me feel nauseous," Michael grumbled as he glanced back at Maria. She was sitting on the tailgate staring out across the desert, her miserable expression revealing that her thoughts were elsewhere. "Fine, I'll do it." He snatched the keys out of Shadow's hand and shook his head. "I'll let Maggie know what's goin' on; she can take you guys home an' I'll drop the truck off later tonight."

Shadow's mouth dropped open in shock when Michael looped the reins around the top rail of the fence behind them and left to find his sister. "Did he just agree to photograph the pageant? The same pageant I've been buggin' him about shootin' for the past two months?"

"It's all about leverage, big brother, and for once you actually had it." She thumped his shoulder with her right fist. "C'mon, let's give Aunt Sage a hand loading the horses so we can get outta here."

Maggie looked up from the numbers hastily scrawled on the back of her hand when her brother joined her. "Hey," she said, glancing up at him. "Between Uncle Aaron's counts and my counts it looks like we can account for all of our cattle."

He turned to look at their uncle where he was looping a rope around the posts to form a temporary barrier until they could get the new rails up. "That's a relief." He rolled his shoulders back as she focused on him. "Look, I need a favor; can you take care of Sundance and drop Jacey an' Shadow off at home?"

Maggie shot a quick look in Maria's direction. "She okay?"

"It's probably those idiot friends of hers again." He shook his head and scratched his eyebrow with his right thumb. "Anyway, can you do that for me?"

"I've got it covered."

Maria watched Michael as he talked with everyone before finally walking back towards her and she jumped down off of the tailgate when the others began to leave. "What can I do to help?"

"There's only one thing that gets you worked up like this," he said, bracketing her body with his arms and wrapping his hands around the edge of the tailgate. "What'd they do this time?"

Maria's hands came up to pick at one of the buttons on his shirt, focusing her gaze there as she struggled to control her emotions. When she felt that she could speak without letting her emotions get the best of her she told him what had happened and waited for his response.

"So, he didn't deny it when you asked if they were involved in – " Michael started, only to be interrupted.

"No, he didn't deny it." Maria took a deep breath before looking up at him.

"Did he tell you what they're hidin'? Did he give you any reason to believe that they're not involved in drugs and/or alcohol?" He backed away from her and started pacing, his hands gesturing wildly as he fired off the questions. "Did he give you an explanation for switchin' out blood samples? Did he tell you why they're takin' a risk like that?" He was firing off questions without giving her time to answer, but he was really starting to wonder what was behind her friends' behavior.

"No."

He shook his head at her soft response. "But you still don't believe that's what they're involved in, do you?"

She sighed heavily. "I know that all the evidence indicates that you're probably right, Michael… I know that. But, I've known them my whole life, and my instincts are telling me that you're wrong and I just can't accept that they could change that drastically."

"How many times are you gonna let them do this to you, Maria? People change, it's a fact of life; maybe not one we wanna acknowledge or accept, but it happens and we have no control over it. You wanna believe they're not involved in drugs or alcohol, fine, stick your head in the sand and ignore what's right in front of you. But you can't deny that they're involved in somethin' that's illegal; people do not switch blood samples when they don't have anything to hide." He wanted to shake her! Liz and Alex had been her friends, but that was in the past now and she was going to have to accept that fact sooner or later.

"I know that," Maria snapped.

"Do you?" he asked, his tone harsh. "Every time they do somethin' that makes their behavior suspect you get upset, and when I point out the obvious reason for the way they're actin' you suddenly become their biggest defender."

"You don't know them, Michael – "

"I don't give a damn about knowin' them, Maria! I've seen what knowin' them's done to you and beyond tellin' them what I think about that, I have no interest in them." He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at her. "You're doin' everything you can to hold onto the belief that they haven't gone down that path and you're usin' me to do it. You come to me with whatever they've said or done, I automatically throw my opinion out there, and you take a stand on the opposite side, defending them and assuming that I'm wrong."

"What?" _What the hell was going on? He was like, turning his back on her,_ she thought incredulously.

Now that he had started, Michael couldn't stop. "You don't wanna be the one to think that they're capable of takin' that direction, but you know that's gonna be my first assumption. You come to me with it because you know I'll be the one to voice the ugly possibilities that you don't wanna say aloud, and when I do you can jump to their defense and it allows you to maintain the illusion that your friends can't possibly be goin' down that path."

Maria stared at him in disbelief. "I can't believe you have the audacity to stand there and pass judgment on my friends!" she shouted as she jumped down to stand on the ground.

"Friends?" he snarled in response to her remark. "You still call them friends in spite of everything they've done to you; you have a very interesting definition of the word friend and it's a helluva lot different than mine."

"I've known them my whole life, Michael! You can't just expect me to suddenly believe that they could be involved – "

"Y'know what? I don't care what you believe about them; you're wearin' blinders where they're concerned and you have no intention of seein' the truth that's right in front of you." He shook his head and snatched up the hammer that was lying in the bed of the truck next to a box of nails. "And I'm not gonna stand here an' lie to you so you can feel better about whatever they're involved in."

"I didn't ask you to – " Maria tried to interject, but Michael was too angry to let her finish.

"You didn't have to, Maria! Do you even know why you come to me when they do somethin' that makes you feel like crap?" It really hurt him that Maria would do that and not even realize it. That she would come to him just so she wouldn't be the one to accuse her friends of whatever shit they had gotten into.

Maria shook her head, refusing to take the blame. He was her boyfriend and she went to him when she had a problem that was all. "Because for some reason that escapes me at this moment, you're the first person that comes to mind when I have something that I wanna talk about." She shook her head. "I never asked you to lie to me and I don't think it's too unreasonable to expect a response that's a little sympathetic – "

Michael interrupted her once again. "You want me to list off all the possible things they could be involved in so you can discard them and make yourself believe that I'm wrong and there's some plausible reason for their behavior. You can accuse me of a lot of things, but lyin' to you won't ever be one of 'em." He muttered under his breath as he stalked over to the boards stacked on the ground and picked one up. "You wanna grab that box of nails and get over here?"

"Sure, but only because you can't do this on your own."

"I do just fine by myself." He was perfectly capable of making the repairs on his own; it wasn't the first time he'd had to work without another pair of hands. And just to prove his point he retrieved the box of nails before she could get to them. His temper was boiling near the surface and he was trying to contain the worst of it before he really told her off but she wasn't helping matters any with her comments.

Maria watched him as he stubbornly worked on his own, refusing to ask for help even after dropping the first two nails and whacking his thumb with the hammer. Several cows that were close by bolted when he cursed out loud and threw the hammer on the ground between his feet.

He wiped his thumb on his jeans, leaving a smear of blood there before leaning over to pick up the hammer. He frowned when Maria reached for his hand as he straightened up, turning it over to inspect the damage he had inflicted on himself.

"Ouch," she said, wincing. "That's gotta hurt." The skin was split over his knuckle and she could feel the tension in his hand seconds before he pulled it back.

"It's fine," he snapped.

"Don't pretend that you're not hurt – "

"Why not? Denial seems to work for you." He picked the board up and placed it against the posts once more, refusing to acknowledge her when she took the opposite end and steadied it for him.

For the next hour they ignored each other, neither of them willing to be the first to break the angry silence that had built between them. When the last nail had been driven in and the fence was suitably repaired Michael loaded the few extra boards and the tools before slamming the tailgate shut.

"Let's go."

For the first time since they had met they parted without a single word or touch passing between them. At the house Michael didn't bother waiting to watch her leave as he normally did; instead he went inside and slammed the door after him.

*****

Amy was folding a load of freshly-laundered clothes when the front door slammed shut and she heard her daughter stomp through the house, muttering under her breath the whole way. When the bedroom door slammed shut moments later she dropped the shirt on the table and went in search of the teenager.

"Maria?" she called, rapping lightly on the door before walking inside.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Maria denied before her mother had the time to form the question.

"Okay."

"He's a jerk, Mom! He has no idea what he's talking about and he's got the wrong idea about them!" She paced around her room, picking things up and putting them back down in a new location. "He's wrong!"

Amy's eyebrows lifted in surprise; there was only one _he_ in Maria's life right now so she knew who she was ranting about. "What exactly is Michael wrong about?"

"You should see him! Standing there, handing out his advice like he has any idea what he's talking about! Arrogant, pompous, loud-mouthed…"

Amy was careful to keep her amusement hidden from her daughter as the girl stormed around the room muttering a long litany of unflattering insults aimed at her boyfriend. "Maria?"

"What?" Maria whirled around to look at her mother, still furious with Michael.

"Honey, what is it that he's wrong about?" Amy asked. _To hell with their don't ask, don't tell policy!_

"Liz and Alex."

_The sensitive subject; no wonder Maria was so angry._ "Ah, so you've talked to him about the way they've been acting."

"Yeah, and what a mistake!" The erratic pacing finally began to wind down and after a few minutes Maria dropped down to sit on her bed. "He thinks that the reason they've been acting all weird is because they've gotten involved in drugs or alcohol… or both." She sighed heavily and flopped back to lie on the bed so she could stare at the ceiling. "He's wrong."

Amy bit her lower lip as she considered the best way to approach a topic that was so sensitive and in the end she settled for direct. "Is he?"

Maria shot up into a sitting position so fast that she felt light-headed for a moment. "Mom! How can you even say that?"

"I'm not saying that he's right, I'm just asking if you've considered the possibility. I know it's not something that you ever want to imagine your friends getting caught up in, but as unrealistic as it might seem, he has a point." Maria loved her friends to the point of being blind to anything negative about them, but whether she wanted to accept it or not, Alex and Liz had changed recently, and Maria was in the dark about what had caused this change. Amy wished that Maria would at least open up to the possibility that her friends had done something wrong. People changed, especially during their teen years. She should know; she had been there, too, and she had done some unmentionable things back in the day.

Maria stared at her mother, unable to believe what she was hearing. "Mom, you know Liz and Alex… that's so not even possible! It's bad enough that my boyfriend is making that accusation – "

"I'm not making an accusation, Maria, I'm simply asking a question." She sat down beside her daughter and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders, pulling the girl against her side. "Honey, it's not easy to think that your friends could be involved in those things, and yes, I do know Liz and Alex, but the truth is that some of the best and brightest kids have fallen into that trap. Their behavior of late is questionable and I'm sure Michael's only looking out for you by suggesting possible explanations for the way they're acting."

Maria tried to contain her tears. _Her own mother was agreeing with Michael! Could they be right? Had she been too blind to see that her best friends were falling into a trap that they might never come back from? No, not Alex and Liz._ She sighed and turned to look at her mother. "He's suggesting it because it's a problem on the Rez and he's familiar with it. He would never suggest that if he knew them."

"Are you so sure about that? Michael may have his own reasons for coming up with that option, but that doesn't make it any less feasible. I've known my share of people who have gotten caught in that trap… people you would never expect to make such bad decisions. They start hanging around with new people, they suddenly don't have time for their old friends, they become secretive – "

"But… Liz and Alex? C'mon, Mom!" she protested, still not ready to see the situation from Michael's point of view.

"I'm not saying that it's something they're definitely involved in and my first instinct says that it's not possible, but maybe you should ask yourself why you're so mad at Michael." She paused to smooth a hand over her daughter's hair and lift her chin so she could meet her green eyes directly. "It's one thing to be mad at him for doing something wrong, but it's another matter entirely if you're mad at him for making you take a hard look at the situation and it's caused you to question your friends' behavior."

"What?" Her mother was getting more and more confusing.

Amy summed up the situation for her stubborn daughter. "Are you mad at him? Or, are you mad at yourself for considering his theories, and you're just taking it out on him?"

Maria leaned against her mother and rested her head on her shoulder. _Was that why she had gotten so angry with Michael?_ she wondered.

*****

Maggie walked through the house when she got back from taking the truck to her cousins. She had offered to take it for Michael when he had returned from repairing the fence, looking like he was ready to explode. She walked through the house, checking the rooms he usually used when he didn't want to be disturbed and when she didn't find him she moved the search outside.

She grabbed his jacket off of the hook behind the front door before pulling it closed behind her and stepping out into the cold night air. Their parents were both working late and neither she nor Michael had eaten yet so she knew he hadn't gone very far from the house.

She walked around the house, towards the barn where she was fairly certain he had retreated after his shower. He was sitting on the top rail of the corral, his pensive gaze locked on the desert. She was surprised when she came up beside him and he didn't notice that he had company; he was obviously lost in his thoughts.

"Michael?"

"What's up, brat?" he asked without looking at her.

_So, he had known she was there,_ Maggie thought. "I brought your jacket," she said, standing on the bottom rail next to him and holding it out in his direction. She draped it over the fence between them when he made no move to accept it. "You wanna talk about what happened between you and Maria?"

"Who said somethin' happened?"

Maggie snorted. "Your expression when you came in, the doors being slammed all over the house, the fact that you didn't wait until Maria had driven off before you came in…" She grinned. "Oh, yeah, and the lack of a heated make-out session before she left – that was a dead giveaway, big brother." She nudged him with her shoulder. "Put your jacket on, you're making me cold."

He did as she suggested, wincing when the material dragged over his injured thumb.

"What'd you guys fight about?"

"Her friends," he muttered.

"The ones you think are involved in drugs?"

"Yeah, apparently I'm not allowed to have an opinion on the subject unless I'm gonna keep it to myself. I don't know them so I have no right to form an opinion. Well, you know what? I'm not gonna sit back and pretend that what they're doin' to her is right; I'm just tryin' to get her to face facts. They're the ones who're up to somethin' that's – "

"Is that what you said to her?" _Oh, he wouldn't have dared to say that, and so brutally direct! Wait, who was she kidding? Of course he would!_

"Of course that's what I said to her!"

_Oh, boy!_ "Michael, you can't just put it out there like that. You could be right about her friends, but what if you're not? What if their reasons for the way they've been acting aren't related to anything like what you're suggesting? Look, I know you're just worried about her, and I know it pisses you off when she comes out here all upset like she was earlier, but…" She took a deep breath before continuing. "But, what if you're wrong? What happens if she attributes their behavior to your reasoning and it turns out that they're not involved in anything like that?"

He frowned and looked at his sister. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"

Maggie paused for a minute, trying to come up with a way to express her thoughts without hurting her brother. "Have you considered that maybe you're pushing your opinion on her? I know you well enough to know that you've expressed your thoughts on the subject, but you don't have to make her believe it."

_Was she implying that he wanted Maria to accept his opinion?_ "Why not? They're obviously involved in – "

"They're involved in _something_, Michael, but what if you're wrong and it's not drugs or alcohol? Do you really wanna keep pushing your opinion until you make her believe it?"

Michael groaned. He knew that he couldn't force a girl like Maria to just follow him blindly. She was the kind of girl who had her own opinions and she stuck with them. "Well, what the hell am I supposed to say then?"

Maggie wished she had all the answers. She hated seeing her brother unhappy. "She already knows your opinion on the subject, Michael; you told me before that you guys had agreed to disagree about their motives, so why are you pushing it now?"

"They keep hurtin' her, Maggie." Michael sighed roughly and shook his head, trying to stop the words before they poured out of him. "I don't know how to explain it exactly, but it bothers me when I see her like that and I know they're the reason for it. She knows my opinion on them." He turned so that he was facing her. "Y'know why she comes to me when they hurt 'er?"

She was interested in his point of view. "Why?"

"Because she knows what I'm gonna say. She wants me to say all the bad things I think about her friends so she can defend them." Michael's face took on a thunderous expression as he was reminded of the heart of their fight.

"Her loyalty to her friends is strong, but would you honestly want her to be any different? Maybe she does come to you for that reason, maybe that's part of it, but I'll bet that she's also coming to you because she knows you love her and she needs you to be the one to help her deal with whatever they've done." She watched him when he fell silent, waiting for several minutes before she poked him. "Maybe you can think about what I said while you're making dinner," she suggested.

He nodded absently, pondering Maggie's words before her previous comment registered and he protested, "Why should I make dinner?"

"Because you're the oldest and you're in charge?" Maggie teased him, happy to see him in a better mood.

Michael shook his head when she pulled that old card. "Several years ago that argument would've worked."

"You're still the oldest."

"You're still the girl."

Maggie punched him in the arm. "Just for that, I'm really not making dinner now!" She sobered a moment later. "Seriously, Michael, she knows your opinion about her friends, so maybe you should just ease up on her. I know you get mad when she gets hurt, and I have to say that I'm surprised – and impressed – that you haven't been to Roswell so you could meet them, but they're her friends and she needs to be the one to decide how she feels about them."

"I don't know… maybe you're right." He jumped down off of the fence and they started to walk back up to the house. "Let's just concentrate on dinner for now, okay?" He collared her with his right arm, pulling her close for a quick hug before she wiggled free of his grasp and punched his arm.

"Catch me and I'll make dinner," she called over her shoulder as she ran up to the house.

He pushed thoughts of Maria and the problem with her friends to the back of his mind as he took up the chase. He had just been given an opportunity to get out of making dinner and he wasn't about to waste it.


	67. Chapter 66

**Part 66**

Maria paced around her bedroom, the music drifting through the speakers creating a perfect mix of angst and anger to compliment her mood. She didn't know why Michael had to be so adamant that drugs and alcohol were the reason behind the wedge that had been driven between her, Liz, and Alex. He had a very strong opinion on the subject and she could respect that, but he was making an accusation without having all of the facts. And most importantly, he didn't know Liz and Alex; if he did, he wouldn't be so quick to make that connection.

_Then why haven't you invited him to meet you here and spend the evening hanging out in Roswell?_ her conscience taunted. _Because you had your suspicions about their behavior before he ever labeled it and you're scared that there's some validity to his beliefs._

_Damn it! She was doing exactly what he had accused her of doing; she was using him to be the bad guy so she could be the one to deny her own suspicions without ever having to admit to having them._ She finished getting ready for bed and crawled under the covers before reaching for her cell phone to call him.

Michael picked up the cordless phone and glanced at the caller ID, letting the phone ring several more times and debating whether or not he wanted to answer it.

"Hey, you gonna get that?" Maggie asked, stepping around him to go into the kitchen.

He glanced at her over his shoulder but the sudden silence pulled his attention back to the phone in his hand. _Did he want to call her back? Or should he just leave things as they were for a while and let her think about it a little longer?_

Maggie intentionally bumped against him as she passed him on her way back to her bedroom. "Call her back," she called over her shoulder.

He sighed and walked back to his own bedroom, shutting the door behind him as he dialed the number he knew by heart. He didn't know what he was supposed to say, but he didn't think he was wrong for what he had said earlier.

"Michael, hi."

He heard the surprise in her voice when she answered and he realized that she hadn't expected him to call back. "Hey," he greeted, his tone gruff.

"I didn't know if you'd call back," she said slowly.

"Yeah, me either." Michael didn't try to hide his feelings on the matter; he hadn't really known if he would call her back or not. If not for Maggie's advice, he might not have called her back.

Maria winced when he didn't give so much as an inch and she knew she was going to have to be the one to take the first step. "So, listen, we both said some things earlier and I… I know that you're not gonna change your mind about your opinion… and you have a right to your opinion," she rushed on before he could get the wrong idea. "It's just – "

"It's just that you have your own opinions about what's goin' on and you're only interested in mine as long as you can tell me that I'm wrong."

She could hear the underlying hurt in his voice, but she didn't interrupt him.

"I can appreciate your loyalty to your friends, Maria, but you can't keep comin' to me, tellin' me stuff about them, and then jumpin' to their defense when our opinions differ. You're makin' me the bad guy so you can be the good guy and run in to defend their behavior. You're puttin' me in a situation that I can't win; the only way for me to give you an answer that you'll like is if I ignore my instincts and lie to you, and if that's what you want from me…" He shook his head, not considering that she couldn't see the motion. "It's not fair to expect that from me, Maria."

Listening to him, she was really getting a clearer picture of how her reactions to the subject of her friends was hurting him and putting a strain on their relationship. She couldn't let it continue this way; she had to learn to live with the unexpected path that her life had taken. "No, you're right, that's not fair to you and I'm sorry."

Michael was silent for a few minutes, surprised by her admission. He had thought it would take longer for her to recognize something really wrong was going on with her friends. "Maria, they're the ones who're actin' suspicious; they won't talk to you, confide in you, or give you any kind of an explanation. What're you supposed to think? How're you supposed to keep trustin' people who don't trust you? They're your friends and I know you've gotta make choices and decisions that you can live with, but no one can blame you for thinkin' that they've gotten involved in some bad stuff."

She knew there was a possibility that he was right. _Really, she knew it. It was just… hard to accept. _ "What if they're not involved in anything like what you've suggested? What if they've got a good reason for their behavior?"

"Then they have no right to be pissed at you for thinkin' otherwise; they're the ones who changed… you're only speculating based on the evidence they've given you to work with."

She was silent for several minutes. "It's not easy for me to admit that they could be involved in stuff like that, Michael. I know it's a part of your world and you've dealt with it, but it's never been a part of my world and I don't… I just don't know how to process it."

_iMaybe that was a big part of the problem,_ he thought. _Drug and alcohol addiction were just words, things that existed outside of her insulated world. He had mistakenly assumed that having a mother like Amy, she would be more open to the possibilities. Obviously Amy was more of a nature hippie, more concerned with taking care of her_ _body and worrying about what she ate and how it was cooked. Alcohol and drugs must have been banned in her little corner of the universe._ "Look, I don't know the situation and I don't know them, but as an outsider lookin' in, their behavior is consistent with drug or alcohol abuse." He fell back on his bed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "You're the one who's gotta be able to live with any thoughts you have or any accusations you might make, so I'm not tryin' to tell you what you should think or say; I'm just askin' you to respect my opinion and stop usin' me as the scapegoat in this little drama."

"Will you stop trying to convince me to think the worst about them?" She sighed and finally admitted what she hadn't been able to say aloud up until now. "There's a part of me that questions whether they could be involved in something bad, but, it's like, if I actually say it out loud, it's gonna make that possibility more real."

"You know you've got your head in the sand where they're concerned," he said finally, unable to just sit back and let her push those possibilities she had spoken of back into hiding.

"One step at a time, Michael. I just wanted to apologize for – "

"No, don't, it's not necessary." He laughed, happy that his girl had taken the first step and called him. "We're good, Maria." He grinned when he heard her relieved sigh from the other end of the phone. "So, you ready for the big game?"

"Ready to cheer for West Roswell High, you mean?" she asked, teasing him. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"I'm still pickin' you up around five, right?"

"I'll be ready. Would you mind picking me up over at my mom's shop though? I've gotta do a few things for her and I'll be closer to the shop than home."

"Nah, that's cool. Maybe I can get there a few minutes early and we can make up for the opportunity we lost today. Perfect chance for some serious makin' out and I didn't get so much as a kiss outta the deal."

"Well, pick me up a little earlier than five and we'll see if we can't rectify that."

They talked for a while longer before disconnecting, both of them feeling better than they had at the beginning of the conversation.

*****

Michael looked up when his mother knocked on his open door, grateful for any excuse to take a break from his homework. "Hey, Mom."

"How's the homework coming along?"

He shrugged. "Most of it's finished; I think I'll wait and do the rest of it on Sunday night."

She frowned. "Why not just finish it now?"

"I've gotta take a shower before I go get Maria and there's really no reason to rush through this stuff and get it wrong."

"Maggie's not going with you?"

Michael's eyebrows drew together in a confused frown. "Why would she go with me to pick Maria up? She's gotta be back at school with the rest of the team in a little over an hour to get ready for the game."

"Oh, well, that works out beautifully then, doesn't it?" Catherine enthused.

"What does?" he asked warily.

"I have some errands to run and your father will be meeting us at the school."

He didn't understand what that had to do with him going to pick Maria up. "Okay."

"Your Uncle Aaron called a while ago; they're going out of town over the weekend and they need someone to watch Shysie."

"Okay. What's that got to do with me?" Understanding suddenly dawned on him and he shook his head as he looked at his mother. "No, Mom, not me! C'mon, I've got plans with Maria; we're goin' out after the game."

"What? I trust you to find something age-appropriate so your cousin can participate."

Michael looked at his mother, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. _Had she planned that on purpose?_ _Having him take care of Shy was the perfect way to interfere in his plans for some time alone with Maria._ "Well, I guess I can take her with me to get Maria and to the game, but you an' Dad can take her once we get to the game, right?" He loved the little girl, but he was supposed to be spending time with his girlfriend.

"You'd better hurry if you're gonna get a shower before you leave," Catherine called over her shoulder.

"You're gonna take her at the game, right? Mom?" He kicked the door when she didn't answer him.

*****

Nina was sitting at the counter, keeping an eye on the front while Amy checked the inventory for an item that one of her customers had called to request. She looked up when the bell over the door rang, signaling the arrival of a customer and she tipped her head to one side as her gaze quickly scanned over the young man and the little girl walking beside him.

"Hi there," she greeted with a smile. "You look a little lost." Actually, he looked more uncomfortable than anything else as he looked around, his dark eyes traveling over the many shelves filled with aromatherapy products.

"Uh, hey," he muttered with a nod. He paused to look into a glass case filled with crystals and he shook his head. "No, I'm definitely in the right place."

She watched him when the little girl at his side tugged on his left hand to get his attention and she signed a question that he responded to without hesitation. Somehow the rough-looking young man didn't seem like the type to either know sign language or be so fluent in it.

"Michael," Amy called out as she closed the door to the stockroom behind her. "You're a few minutes early; Maria just called and said she'd be here pretty soon."

_Damn! He was gonna be stuck in the fruity little shop with a little girl, some woman, and Maria's mother!_ "It's cool if we wait for her?"

"Of course." She paused to look at him when it registered that he had said _we_, and she looked down at the little girl standing next to him. "You brought a little friend with you."

"Uh, yeah, I didn't get a chance to call Maria and let her know I was bringin' Shy with me, but…" He glanced down when Shysie tugged on his hand again, this time speaking quietly as she signed her question.

Amy frowned when the word _daddy_ reached her ears and she cleared her throat. "Maria knows about your… um…"

Nina glanced between them and quickly realized what Amy thought she had heard and she bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing aloud. She could see the proverbial light bulb go on over Michael's head as he put the pieces together and came to the same conclusion.

"Yeah, she met Shy the weekend she came out for the ceremony." He frowned as he pretended to ponder that thought. "I kinda figured she would've mentioned her."

"Yes," Amy murmured under her breath, "me too." Out loud, she said, "So, she lives with you or do you have her for the weekend?"

"No, I've just got the little monster for the evening. My parents are gonna take her when we get to the game… well, I hope they're gonna take her." He ruffled Shysie's hair and grinned when she giggled. "I'm kinda hopin' to spend some time with Maria, and that can be kinda hard to do with – "

"Michael! You're here!" Maria exclaimed as she burst through the front door of the shop. "I'm not late, am I?"

"Surprisingly enough, no." He frowned at the gray sweatshirt she was wearing with a pair of blue jeans. "You're not seriously gonna wear that, are you?"

Maria glanced down at her official West Roswell High sweatshirt and nodded. "Yup." She crouched down in front of Shysie to greet her, exchanging the few words she had learned to sign as they carried on a short conversation.

"Well, you're gonna hurt Shy's feelings if you do that," he declared, nudging the little girl. "She kinda brought you a present."

Shysie picked up the gift bag she had set on the floor when they first came in, giving Maria a shy smile as she offered it to her. Her dark eyes watched Maria closely as she reached into the bag and lifted out the dark blue sweatshirt with the Ruidoso High logo emblazoned across the front.

Maria thanked the little girl before standing up and moving into Michael's space. "You do know that was totally unfair, right?"

Michael grinned unrepentantly and closed the space between them to kiss her. "I can't have you sittin' with my family wearin' a shirt for the losin' team." He winked at her. "We'll wait while you change."

"Why don't you make yourself useful and get my bag out of my car while I change." She stretched up to kiss him. "And I won't forget this, Michael."

"Maria, why don't I give you a hand," Amy suggested, taking her daughter's hand and practically dragging her into the storeroom.

"Mom, what're you doing?" Maria asked when the older woman forcefully shut the door behind them.

Amy couldn't hold it in any longer and she exploded the second she turned towards her daughter. _Michael was a father and Maria hadn't thought it was important enough to tell her about it? This was not the kind of news that mothers of seventeen-year-old daughters took lightly! What was Maria thinking?!_ "Why didn't you tell me that he had a child?"

_Huh? What was her mother going on about?_ "A child? Mom, he's probably only watching her for a little while; his parents will probably be taking her when we get to the game."

"Do you honestly think that's fair to them?"

Maria glanced at her mother as she changed shirts. "Mom, what're you getting so upset about?"

"The two of you plan to just drop that little girl off with Michael's parents and then spend the rest of the evening hanging out and having fun; does that seem fair to you?" She shook her head. "Maria, you could've told me that he has a little girl – "

"Wait, you think Shysie's his daughter?" Maria couldn't stop the laughter. "Mom, I think I would've told you if Michael had any children at home. Shy's his cousin."

Amy couldn't control the volume of her voice as she practically screamed in response to that information. "His cousin? Maria, are you absolutely sure? Because I'm pretty sure that little girl called Michael _daddy_." Okay, pretty sure wasn't the same as being 100% certain, but it was close enough. Her mind shifted back to the scene she had witnessed between Michael and the little girl. _Maybe there was another interpretation?_ The little girl was around five, and she knew Michael was seventeen, almost eighteen years old. Meaning that the little girl would have been conceived when he was… twelve or thirteen. Very young… too young. But, not impossible. Also not very likely given what she knew of Michael's character and his upbringing. Uh-oh, that meant that she had been wrong. She watched her daughter and an uncomfortable smile settled on her face as she muttered just one word. "Ouch."

Maria smirked, pleased to witness that oh-so-rare occurrence of her mother being wrong. One of the joys of being the child and getting the upper hand on a parent! She mimicked her mother, "Yes, mother, _ouch_! Now, are you gonna get out of here and apologize to Michael for thinking the worst of him? And I'd just like to point out that even though you mistakenly thought he was Shy's father, you have to admit that he was acting like a good parent. He was present and taking care of her. Not like some dumbass fathers who claim to love their daughter and then run out on them without ever calling or sending birthday cards, or presents, or – " Maria stopped her rant when she realized that she was venting about her own history with her absentee father. She rarely thought about him, but he still managed to invade her thoughts at the most inopportune moments, bringing up the old feelings and hurting her all over again.

Amy looked at her daughter, hurting right along with her for all the pain the man had caused for Maria. She could happily hit her ex-husband for hurting their little girl the way he had; ignoring her and acting as if she had never even existed. She rushed to her daughter and took her in her arms, consoling her the only way a mother could.

*****

Michael was back in the shop by the time Maria and Amy came out of the storeroom, but his attention was on the five-year-old in his arms and he didn't notice them.

"You sign very well," Nina said, watching him with the little girl.

"It was either learn it or not be able to communicate with her." He shrugged. "Not really an option, so…" He glanced up when Shysie tugged on his collar and motioned at some of the crystals hanging in the window, the sunlight creating a rainbow of color as it reflected off of them.

"Are you two ready to go?"

Michael turned to look at Maria and he took a couple of steps back when Amy advanced on him.

"Can I assume that your… _cousin_ is as close as I can expect to get to having grandchildren any time in the near future?"

"Oh, my God, you did not just ask that!" Maria muttered. She gave Nina a quick hug and then hugged her mother and kissed her cheek. "Goodbye, Mom, I'll see you sometime on Sunday." She quickly ushered Michael and Shysie out the door and stuck her head back inside to glare at her mother when the older DeLuca woman called her name. "What?"

"If I call you at any time this weekend while you're staying with Michael's family and I don't get an answer…"

"Yes, Mom, I know; you'll completely embarrass me by driving out there and knocking on his front door."

"Have fun." Amy smiled. "I love you."


	68. Chapter 67

**Part 67**

The crowd in the gym was loud as they entered the school almost an hour later and they were making their way through the stragglers in the hallway when a large… wildcat suddenly ran towards them.

"Michael! Thank God you're finally here!"

Before Maria had a chance to ask what was going on the mascot for the Ruidoso Wildcats took his arm and started tugging him back towards the deserted locker rooms. As soon as they were through the double doors, standing in the silent hallway that led to the boys' locker room, the mascot reached up to remove the oversized head.

"Linda! I had no idea you were under there," she said, surprised.

The girl grinned. "I'd love to talk, but I've got a major emergency! Look, Cam was supposed to help me with this bit I'm doing before the game begins, but he sprained his ankle while we were practicing half an hour ago and now I don't have the most essential part to my skit."

"Essential part, huh?" Michael asked warily. "What's that and why're you tellin' me about it?"

"Well, y'know how Roswell's big thing is the '47 crash and the whole alien conspiracy, right? We got this really cool alien costume and – "

"No."

"But, it's gonna be a great skit, Michael," she whined. "All you've gotta do is put on the costume – I promise no one will ever know it was you – and let me beat you up. It'll be good for morale… team spirit… it'll get the crowd hyped up…" She frowned. None of her arguments were working. "Okay, I didn't wanna have to bring it up, but you _do_ owe me a favor, and I'm calling in my marker." She shook her head when he stared at her in disbelief. "C'mon, Michael, I let you borrow my jeep, and you know I don't ever let anyone borrow it."

Michael released Shysie's hand so he could pace around, agitated. "No way, Linda. There is no way in hell that I'm gonna dress up like some freak just so you can put on a show. Do you have any idea how completely humiliating and ridiculous that would be?" _He had promised her that he'd owe her a favor for letting him use the jeep, and he didn't wanna go back on his word, but this was going way beyond what he owed her! He was never making another deal with anyone without knowing what the payback was gonna be first._ "Y'know, when we made that deal I figured I'd just be fixin' the jeep or somethin'; I never would've considered this."

"Michael, if you don't do this they're gonna cancel my opening skit… I don't have anything else prepared." She was whining again, but she didn't care. _Michael couldn't do this to her! This was for a good cause!_

"That'll teach you, won't it?" Michael asked, stressing his point.

Linda nodded sadly. "Okay, I'll go let the coach know that – "

Maria had remained silent during the exchange, but now it was time to step in. She was planning something in her head and if it went the way she wanted, Linda would have her alien mascot, and Michael would be the one beneath the mask. _Damn, she was just dying to see that!_ She wasn't doing it just for Linda; she had her own personal agenda too. She would most likely never have another opportunity to see Michael in an alien costume. "Hey, Linda, do you think you could take Shy and give us a few minutes alone?" she asked.

The girl glanced back and forth between the couple. "Okay, but I've only got fifteen minutes before I've gotta be out there."

Michael leaned back against the wall and shook his head when Maria walked up to him. "I'm not doin' it, Maria; there is nothin' you can say that could possibly make me put on some alien costume and walk out in front of several hundred people so Linda can kick my ass all over the gym."

Maria rested her weight against him and ran her forefinger down the center of his chest as she looked up at him from beneath her lowered eyelashes. "Really? Nothing at all?"

"Nothin'," he confirmed.

"Nothing I can say…" She trailed off, knowing that she had his attention with the seductive tone.

_Oh, he was gonna be in so much trouble if Maria kept hinting around with that sexy voice. But, no. He had his pride, and he just couldn't wear that costume!_ "Maria, you know what I am; how could you possibly ask me to do this?"

_Was he afraid that she would mock him? Or that it would somehow change her opinion of him?_ "It's a costume, Michael, it's not who you are. You think that's what I see when I look at you?"

"No." He shrugged. "It's what the rest of the world would see if they knew."

She couldn't deny his statement; most people were small-minded. "But, they don't know. I can understand why you have an aversion to doing this, but what's it gonna hurt to put on the costume and play a role for a few minutes?"

Michael growled low in his throat and thumped his head back against the wall. "So, you have no aversion to costumes?" he asked as his arms came around her.

"They have their place." She leaned back in his arms and studied his intent expression. "What've you got in mind?"

His dark gaze slid over her and he smiled slowly. "I'm seein' somethin' along the lines of Lara Croft… the second movie."

Maria snorted. "The shorts outfit? With the boots and the guns? Seriously?"

"An alien costume? Seriously?" he mocked.

"Okay, you've got a deal."

"I hope you know I'm getting the raw end of this deal," he said as he turned his head and called Linda. "The two of you are swearin' on your lives that no one'll ever find out about this." His hands shot up to cover his ears when Linda overheard his comment and her loud squeal threatened to shatter his eardrums.

*****

Isabel followed Alex up into the stands and wrinkled her nose in distaste as something crunched under her boots. She wasn't happy that she had been talked into an hour-long drive so they could go to a basketball game that she wasn't even interested in. She had let them convince her that it was a good idea for them to get away for a while and spend some time just hanging out. _Obviously this was a mistake of gargantuan proportions,_ she thought as she looked at the bench Max and Liz had selected to sit on.

_They couldn't possibly expect her to sit there! God, only knew who else had sat there or what had been spilled on the bench; there were any number of germs just waiting to attack. She wasn't about to sit her designer-jean-clad backside down on that filthy bench!_ She was on the verge of telling her brother exactly what she was thinking when Alex pulled a small packet out of his pocket, ripping it open and pulling out the little anti-bacterial wipe inside. He ignored the comments from a group of guys nearby as he scrubbed the bench and then pulled a handkerchief out of another pocket to dry the spot he had just cleaned. He carefully wrapped everything up and put it in the inside pocket of his jacket and waited for her to sit before he took his own seat.

Max turned to look at them when Isabel didn't make a single comment about the seat, and he watched as Alex handled the situation in a way he never would've thought of. The guy certainly knew how to deal with Isabel, but he was most surprised by the fact that she was allowing it.

"I've heard their mascot's pretty good," Alex commented. "Puts on a really good show." He pointed at the double doors at one end of the gym when they opened and the Wildcats' mascot ran out onto the court dragging a large… alien behind it.

Max winced as he waited for the scathing comment from the other end of the bench.

"Yes, I'm enjoying the show already," Isabel muttered, watching as the Wildcat dragged the alien all over the court, pausing occasionally to pounce on it and pummel it.

"Hey, it's a costume," Alex said, keeping his voice as low as possible with the shouts and cheers resounding through the auditorium. He leaned in closer to her and nudged her with his shoulder. "They're the Wildcats and our team happens to be from Roswell; we don't have a mascot, so it only stands to reason that this is the way they'd choose to get the crowd all hyped up before the big game." He shook his head when she turned to look at him. "Don't take it personally."

"Is that what people would see if they knew the truth?" she asked quietly.

His gaze never wavered as he met her dark eyes directly. "It's not what I see."

Max was holding his breath as he waited to see what his sister said next. Her smile was genuine and he did a double-take when he saw her right hand settle on her leg, her pinky finger extending to wrap around Alex's. Somehow Alex had managed to do something that no one else had ever been able to do; he had broken through Isabel's cold exterior and she was responding to him.

*****

Michael was feeling more and more stupid as the minutes ticked by so slowly that it felt like time was standing still. Linda had sworn that this stupid skit was only supposed to last about ten minutes and he felt like he had been out in front of the crowd for an hour already. He tried to ignore the booing from the crowd as he followed the cues she had been drilling into him as he changed into the stupid costume and then as she led him out to the double doors at the entrance to the auditorium where the fans from both sides were waiting.

_He hated this! He felt like a freak in a sideshow. _He stood up awkwardly, trying to keep his balance with the heavy costume threatening to give in to gravity and drop him on his big, green, rubber face. He wondered where they had managed to find the offensive outfit and he considered confiscating it after the game and burning it. _How had he let Maria talk him into this?_

He shifted to the side, his focus temporarily leaving his opponent as he tried to locate Maria. She had agreed to stay back out of sight with Shysie so his family wouldn't know that they had made it in time for this insane opening skit that Linda had dredged up from the depths of her demented little brain. It would look suspicious if she and Shysie joined his family and he didn't show up until after the skit. He finally located her, standing back near the opposite entrance where no one in his family could see her unless they came down out of the stands.

This was about as fake as it got, but as he scanned the crowded stands and heard the loud booing being shouted from the people he couldn't help but wonder if this was what it would be like if his identity were ever revealed. His gaze was once more drawn to Maria, searching to see if she was having the same reaction.

Maria watched her alien-costumed boyfriend as he lumbered around the court, following Linda's cues and playing the _enemy_ while she trounced on him repeatedly, much to the crowd's pleasure. She was more concerned with watching him than she was with keeping up with the crowd, but when he pushed himself to his feet once again after Linda clobbered him from behind the people in the stands got louder, hissing and booing. She suddenly felt a wave of mixed emotions hit her and she realized that they had to be coming from Michael; anger, fear, and discomfort washed over her and she wondered if pushing him to participate in Linda's little skit was a mistake. It was all in fun, there was no malicious intent behind it, but dressed like that and standing in front of the crowd while they cheered every time he was knocked down and booed every time he got back up was probably bothering him pretty badly right about now.

She smiled in his direction, hoping he could feel her confidence in him and that he could take comfort from the feelings of strength and reassurance she was trying to convey to him.

Michael stood up straighter when Maria's gaze met his directly, though he knew there was no way she could know that. He could feel a wave of calming vibes rush through him and he knew it was her, knew that she was watching him act like a fool in Linda's skit, but all she was seeing was him.

He turned his head when he heard Linda stomp her big wildcat feet on the floor and within a matter of seconds the auditorium resounded with the sound of stomping feet as the entire hometown crowd joined in. _Finally,_ he thought, _the end of this stupidity he had allowed himself to be talked into was there!_ He prepared himself for the final onslaught, reminding himself to be careful to fall properly so that when she pounced on him for the last time he didn't get hurt. He took a deep breath and let Maria's calming influence settle his nerves as he moved around, assuming the stance that Linda had showed him as they were heading for the auditorium.

*****

Maria was waiting on the other side of the double doors, carefully out of sight, when Linda burst through them, triumphantly dragging the defeated mock mascot for the opposing team. As soon as the double doors swung shut they hurried to help Michael to his feet and he motioned for Linda to go back out to entertain the crowd.

"Go on," Michael muttered. "The crowd loves you and it's gonna look suspicious if you don't get right back out there."

"Thanks, Michael."

He growled when he was suddenly enveloped in a hug by the wildcat mascot and he did his best to extract himself from her furry grip. "Linda."

She released him and stepped back when she heard his warning tone; she had known him long enough to know when he was reaching the end of his patience. Without another word she turned and hurried back out to take her place while the announcer introduced the teams.

"We've probably got about ten minutes before tipoff," he said, his words muffled by the mask he was wearing. "Maggie'll be pissed if we miss it."

"Well, if we hurry up, we can join your family before we miss it." She reached out to take his arm and lead him back along the hall to the locker room. "C'mon, let's get you outta this getup."

*****

Max turned to look at Liz when her hand tightened around his and he shifted to follow her gaze, quickly locating the reason for the tension he could feel in her. Maria was moving up into the stands with the guy Liz had described as the other girl's boyfriend, both of them rushing to keep up with the little girl running ahead of them.

"That's him," Liz hissed, staring at the couple.

Alex glanced at her when she spoke, surprised by the look of irritation on her features. "What're you talkin' about, Liz?" he asked, unaware of the topic of conversation; he didn't know if her comment had been aimed at him, Max, or if she was just talking to herself.

"Maria's boyfriend," she said, pointing into the stands across from them. "That's him."

Alex turned to follow her pointing finger and his eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw Maria and the guy Liz was insisting was the boyfriend joining a rather large group of people seated in the center of the stands. It was obvious from the way they were greeted by the group that they all knew each other and it was easy to see that Maria knew them well enough that she was at ease with them.

He was so busy watching Maria engaging with people he didn't know that he missed the tipoff and the first few minutes of the game.

*****

Maria watched the two teams battling it out for points, shoe soles squeaking against the waxed floor as the players ran back and forth on the court in an effort to either maintain or regain control of the ball. A lot of Michael's family had come out for the game and she was pretty sure they had the loudest cheering section in the auditorium. The buzzer sounded, announcing the halftime and her gaze followed the teams as they left the floor and headed for their respective locker rooms. Maggie waved as Ruidoso's team passed the bleachers where her family was sitting and she grinned up at them when they cheered in unison.

"You wanna grab a drink or somethin'?" Michael asked. "We've got time before the next period starts."

Maria started to decline, but changed her mind when the dance squad ran out onto the floor and moved into formation. She rolled her eyes as she glanced over their skimpy outfits and grabbed his hand, pulling him to his feet. "Yeah, that sounds good."

Michael smirked but didn't comment; she wasn't subtle in the least and he had to admit he enjoyed knowing that she got a little jealous. He liked that she wasn't so full of herself that she just assumed he wouldn't bother looking at another woman. Sure, he looked, he could admit that; he hadn't suddenly lost the sense of sight or put on a pair of blinders when he and Maria got together. But looking at them didn't mean anything. He was pretty sure that she knew he wasn't going anywhere, but it was nice to know that she had no intention of letting him go either.

"Hey, Cuz, wait up," Shadow called as he stood along with Jacey. "We'll go with you."

Michael frowned when everyone in the family started reciting their orders and before he knew it he was headed for the concession stands with a list as long as his arm and Shysie in tow.

"I'll meet you at the concession stands, okay? I'm gonna run to the restroom real quick."

"I'll go with you," Jacey said as she took Shysie's hand.

Michael nodded. "Don't take too long; I'm not carryin' everything back myself."

Maria hurried along the crowded corridor and made the necessary trip as fast as possible. She was on her way to the concession stands with Jacey and Shysie when she looked up and found herself walking towards Liz, Alex, and her replacements.

"Maria, everything okay?" Jacey asked when she felt the other girl tense up beside her.

"What is takin' you guys so long?" Michael asked as he came up behind them and lifted Shysie up onto his shoulders. He had recognized Liz as soon as he had noticed her and the others standing several lines over at the concession stands. As soon as they had gotten their order and turned to go in the direction he knew Maria would be coming from he had left Shadow in charge of waiting for their rather large order and hurried to intercept his girlfriend before she ran into them.

Maria smiled up at Michael when his right arm draped around her shoulders and he altered their path enough to take them away from the impending collision course they had been on with her old friends. She averted her gaze as they passed the others, focusing her attention on him. "I thought you were taking care of everyone's orders?"

"I've got Shadow coverin' it," he answered, glaring at the dark-haired guy walking next to Liz, their arms wrapped around each other. _Had to be the boyfriend._ He smirked when the guy said something to Liz and turned back to look at him, his eyes assessing as if he were weighing how much of a threat Michael was.

"Wait," Jacey interjected, "you left _Shadow_ in charge of food? You know better than that; he eats everything in sight, Michael!"

"That much is true." He glanced at his cousin and laughed. "Guess you'd better run ahead and make sure the food's safe then, huh?" Michael waited until Jacey took the hint and took off, leaving them alone before he tugged Maria a little closer to his side. "You okay?"

"Yeah, it's just weird running into them here of all places."

"Well, c'mon, they're not gonna bother you here; let's catch the rest of the game and then we've got the rest of the evening…" he grinned, "and I promise I'll make you forget all about them."

*****

Isabel turned to look at Alex when they settled back into their seats; his gray gaze was focused on something across the gymnasium and she knew without looking that he was studying Maria's boyfriend. "Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"What're you thinking?" she asked.

"I was just thinkin' about the way Liz described the guy with Maria."

She tipped her head to one side as she studied his thoughtful expression. "You don't agree with her?" She reached over to rest her hand on his forearm when she noticed how torn he looked.

"I can understand how she might think he's dangerous, but I've been watchin' him since she pointed him out and… I don't see it, Isabel. Maybe it'd be different if I had met him one on one, but just watchin' him with Maria…" He shook his head. "I don't see it." He rubbed his right hand over his face. "Did you see her expression in the hall?"

Isabel bit her bottom lip when she saw the regret in his eyes and heard it in his voice. He didn't deserve to suffer like this and it wasn't right that he had been put in a position that had cost him one of his oldest friends. "Maybe we could go say hi after the game? Just to say hi," she rushed to add, not wanting him to misunderstand what she was saying.

Alex smiled, knowing how much it had taken for her to make the offer. "We?"

"I meant it when I said I'd help you try to fix things with her. I know it's only a small step, but…"

"Every great journey begins with a single, small step, right?" He reached over with his right hand and covered hers where it still rested on his arm. "I'd like to take it with you, and it means more than I can tell you that you're willin' to take it with me."

A genuine smile broke across Isabel's perfect features, settling there for several long seconds before she became aware of it.

"You shouldn't try to hide it."

Her gaze shot back to Alex when he spoke. "What?"

"You have a beautiful smile, Isabel." He shook his head and grinned at her, leaning back and pulling his hand back when he saw Max and Liz coming up to join them. "You should use it more than you do; the real one that makes you light up from the inside out. Not that fake one you use most of the time to make people think you're happy."

_He thought she had a beautiful smile._ Isabel was having a difficult time containing her happiness at his compliment. _No one had ever said that to her before. Well, her parents, of course, but they didn't count._ She kept her gaze focused on the court as the two teams prepared to battle it out for the win, unable to hear the conversation between Alex and Liz over the noise of the crowd.

*****

Maria was having a hard time trying to keep her attention focused on the game because her gaze kept shifting back to the four people sitting together on the opposite side of the gymnasium. _Since when did Liz and Alex go to sports events of any nature?_ She looked down when a small hand settled over hers and she turned her head to the side, smiling at Shysie when she met the little girl's concerned gaze.

"I'm fine," she said with a small smile, hoping to reassure the little girl. Michael had told her that his cousin was learning to read lips and as long as she spoke slowly and kept her sentences short Shysie would be able to understand what she was saying. She had been making an effort to learn to sign and she was always adding new words and phrases to her repertoire, but in this case she couldn't remember the correct sign for the word _fine_.

Michael's attention was drawn to them when his cousin shifted in his lap and he watched the interaction between the two girls. Shysie tilted her head to the side and her eyes traveled over Maria's face, taking in every nuance of her expression as she tried to figure out what was wrong. After a few long moments she moved her hand so that she could grasp Michael's, tugging it from around her waist and guiding it to take Maria's hand.

Her perception where people were concerned always amazed him, and with the small gesture, she was showing sympathy for Maria, but she was also showing that she accepted the girl as part of his life. He shifted her to the right so he could wrap his free arm around her waist to hold her in place and keep her from falling as he looked at Maria.

She shrugged as she gave him a small smile. "I still miss them; how stupid is that?"

Michael turned his head to look at the group across from them. "It's not stupid, Maria. It'd be a hell of a lot simpler if you didn't miss them, but you were a part of each other's lives for so long that you're practically family." He shrugged. "That's not an easy loss to deal with, so it only makes sense that those feelings are gonna exist."

She looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense." She tightened her hand around his, jumping when the crowd around them suddenly rose to their feet and started cheering.

They quickly turned their attention back to the court in time to see the Wildcats take control of the ball, sinking a shot that put them two points ahead of the other team. The point spread had been almost nonexistent throughout the entire game; both teams were the best in their division and neither one wanted to end the night with anything less than a win.

*****

As the game came to a conclusion Maria laughed at something one of the people surrounding her said and Liz couldn't look away from the expression of happiness on her face. She had wondered what Maria was doing at the game since the only interest she had ever expressed in sports had been in the ninth grade when a guy she liked had been on the football team. She laughed quietly as she remembered the fiasco that had followed Maria's brilliant idea to get closer to the guy.

"What?" Alex asked. The stands were already thinning out so he heard her with no problem when she chuckled.

"I was just wondering why Maria would go to a basketball game when she doesn't care about sports and it made me think about ninth grade… remember that?"

Alex grimaced at that particular memory. He had always been on the thin side, but in ninth grade he had been tall and skinny, still trying to adapt to his lanky frame and limbs that felt too long and awkward most of the time.

"What happened in ninth grade?" Max asked curiously.

"Can you picture me in a football uniform?"

Isabel tried not to laugh at that image and almost choked. "I'm sorry," she said when he turned to look at her, "go on."

"Yeah, that was my reaction too. Maria had this huge crush on one of the guys on the team and her big plan to get close to him was to sign me up for football try-outs. Which, just for the record, was not one of her brighter plans; Kyle took it upon himself to pound my skinny ass into the ground at every available opportunity. I had to be carried off of the field." He glanced at Liz and grinned. "You remember what happened after that?"

"How could I forget?"

"What happened?" Max asked, glancing up at the people filing by in the row below them.

"As soon as Maria was convinced that Alex was still alive she walked right out onto the field and she charged Kyle." Liz laughed at the memory. "Ran right out there and knocked him down, gave him a bloody nose that he'll probably never forget. Of course, after that she completely lost interest in her crush because he had just cheered Kyle on while he was…" _Was there a delicate way to say it?_

"Beating me to a pulp," Alex supplied when he saw her struggling to find the words.

They turned to watch Maria walk down out of the stands with her boyfriend and the others and Isabel exchanged a concerned look with her brother.


	69. Chapter 68

**Part 68**

Maggie was not happy as she stepped out of the locker room and looked around for Linda and Christina. They were leaning up against the wall as they talked about the guys on the boys' basketball team who were horsing around at the other end of the hall. "You guys ready to go?"

"We're ready," they said in unison. They exchanged a glance when she just grunted and kept walking.

"Somebody's pissed," Christina muttered under her breath as they fell into step beside her.

Linda rolled her eyes and debated which conversation tactic to employ under the circumstances. The Wildcats hadn't lost the game, but they hadn't won either; the game had ended with a tied score and as far as Maggie was concerned the game was a loss. "So, Mag, you and Jesse are going to the team party, aren't you?"

Maggie stopped and turned to face them. "Go to the party?" she repeated incredulously. "The _victory_ party? We didn't win the game, so what is the point of celebrating?"

"Well, we didn't lose the game, either," Linda stated, shrugging as they continued walking. She refused to be drawn into her friend's bad mood. "I mean, you played two extra periods before they called it – "

"Hey, where's Cameron?" Christina asked, hoping to turn the conversation away from the game. "He's usually waiting for you after the games." Maggie was incredibly competitive and she didn't like walking away from any game without a win.

"His parents took him to have his ankle checked, but he said he'd meet us at the party as soon as he can get away."

"What's wrong with his ankle?"

"He um, he sprained it while we were working on the skit." _There,_ she thought, _that wasn't a complete lie._ "What about Morgan? Is he gonna be there?"

"If he knows what's good for him he'll be there." She glanced up and noticed the guy standing at the end of the hall, waiting for Maggie. _Hopefully Jesse would be able to put her in a better mood because she wasn't going to be a lot of fun to be around if she was like this for the rest of the night._

Jesse straightened away from the wall when the girls neared him and he reached out to take Maggie's hand, tugging her against his side and draping his arm around her shoulders as he joined them. "Are we all goin' to the party together?" _Say no,_ he thought to himself.

"Maggie doesn't wanna go to the party," Linda offered helpfully.

"What? Why not?"

"Because it's a _victory_ party and we were _not_ victorious," Maggie growled.

"It was a good game; you played your heart out, darlin'."

_What the hell? Why was everyone acting like a tied score was a good thing? Had they all completely lost their minds? How could they be so… so… so stupid? They hadn't won the game!!_ Her voice was angry when she spoke. "But it wasn't a _winning_ game."

"Okay, well, I've got my truck, so why don't we go get somethin' to eat and we'll decide what to do from there?" he suggested, unwilling to let her drag him into an argument.

"We're gonna meet up with the team and head on over to the party," Christina said as they walked out of the school and moved towards the parking lot. "If we don't see you guys at the party we'll see you tomorrow, Mag."

Maggie nodded absently, mentally going over every play and trying to identify where it had all gone wrong. She never noticed when Jesse leaned back and mouthed the words _we'll see you there_ to her friends.

"Maggie, honey, good game." John and Catherine smiled as their daughter forced a smile in response to her father's congratulatory words. "Jesse, I trust you'll have my daughter home at a reasonable time."

"Of course, sir."

Maggie looked down at the little girl standing between her parents, holding their hands. "I thought you guys were going out? Wasn't Michael supposed to take Shy tonight?"

Catherine frowned. "He said you were taking her."

"Can you guys wait just a minute while I go find Michael?"

John chuckled when she stalked off, pulling her boyfriend behind her. "I see more of you in that girl everyday, Cath." He shook his head. "That boy had better be prepared to hold onto his hat."

*****

"Michael Guerin, I cannot believe you told Mom and Dad that I was taking Shy tonight," Maggie snapped as she finally reached the area of the parking lot where her brother and cousins had gathered.

He was sitting on the tailgate next to Maria having a conversation with Yancey when his sister's voice cut right through their words. His grin slipped just a fraction when he looked up and saw her stormy expression.

"Aw, c'mon, what's the big deal? We're goin' out tonight and it's highly doubtful that you have any plans now anyway."

"Michael!" Maria shoved her elbow in his ribs at his thoughtless comment.

"What? As far as she's concerned they lost tonight's game, and believe me, she's not a graceful loser. She's gonna be temperamental and moody for the next few weeks. You have no idea what she's like when she doesn't get the win she's expecting out of a competition."

"Uh-huh, and you're just a saint, aren't you? You're just gonna pour fuel on the fire." She shook her head. "And you have no room to talk, considering your temper."

Maggie ignored her brother's taunt and reached out to poke him in the center of his chest. "You're taking her tonight."

"No, I'm not. I told you, me an' Maria have plans – "

_Yeah, well just because she had no intention of going to that stupid victory party for a game that they hadn't won, it didn't mean she was going to spend the evening babysitting Michael's number one fan! He could take care of her himself because she wasn't in any mood to keep an eye on the little girl. She loved her, but all she wanted to do was go home, scream, and break something. Or spend some time with Jesse._ She'd see which way the night went, but whichever direction it took, Shysie was not gonna be a part of it. "So do we and they don't include a five-year-old chaperone."

"Okay, as much as I enjoy the fights you two have, I'm ready to go," Yancey said before things got too loud between his cousins. "Where's the party?"

"Party's at Amber Brown's place," Jacey answered.

He rubbed his hands together and grinned in delight. "Perfect, I noticed her sister in the crowd; must be home for the Thanksgiving break."

"Hey, did you say the party's at Amber's house?" Shadow interrupted, elbowing his way into the group. "Is Talia gonna be there?"

"Are you kiddin'?" Austin groaned. "I thought we were gonna skip the party and hit the arcade?"

"It's a pool party, moron," Shadow growled.

"So? It's cold out." He rolled his eyes. "What's the big deal? No one's gonna be in the pool."

"_Amber Brown."_ He spoke slowly, trying to get the importance of those two words across to his cousin. He rolled his eyes when Austin continued to stare at him without a single ounce of understanding. "Her parents own the house up on the hill… the only house in town with an indoor swimming pool?" He shook his head. "Nevermind. If there is any chance of me seein' Talia in a bathing suit, then I'm afraid that takes precedence over beatin' you at video games all night."

"C'mon, kid." Yancey collared his clueless younger brother and pulled him along as he walked away. "One of these days you're gonna get your head out of those video games and you're gonna discover girls. Just accept that you're never gonna win if your competition is a girl in a bikini."

Jacey grabbed her brother's arm and hauled him along after her so they could catch a ride with their cousins. "Shadow, I swear to God, if you embarrass me in front of…"

Her threatening voice faded as they moved further away and within a matter of minutes Michael and Maria had been left alone with Maggie and Jesse.

"C'mon, Maggie, it's only for a couple of hours."

"All right."

He frowned at her sudden capitulation. _No way, that was too easy._

"No, you're right, it's only for a couple of hours. I was gonna take her with me when Linda, Christina, and I go to the mall tomorrow, but since I'm taking her tonight, _you_ can take her tomorrow."

Michael glared at her when she smirked. She knew he had plans with Maria the next day and that they were finally going to get a chance to spend some time alone. "And if I take her tonight you'll take her tomorrow? You swear?"

"Of course."

He sighed and glanced at Maria. "You mind if Shy goes with us to the movie?"

Maria smiled at him, knowing that their plans for making out at the movie had just been blown out of the water. "No, that's fine."

"Perfect," Maggie announced. "We'll go get her for you that way it'll save you all of the parental warnings." She was moving back towards the school, dragging Jesse with her before Michael had a chance to form a response.

"It won't be that bad, Michael," Maria said as she wrapped her arms around him.

"It won't be that bad?" he repeated incredulously. "Have you forgotten why we were goin' to see a movie that neither of us cares about?"

"No, I haven't forgotten, but if taking your cousin for a couple of hours tonight means your sister will take her tomorrow then it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

"You know what this means, right? There's only one thing at the movies right now that's got a ratin' her parents allow. _Monsters, Inc._, Maria; a movie about these goofy monsters who go through the doors in the closets in little kids' rooms and scare them… big patchy, blue monsters and little round, eyeball-shaped monsters." He shook his head. "Do I look like a guy who spends his time checkin' out…" He shifted, putting some space between them when she laughed at him. "What? You think that's funny?"

"I just think that for a guy who doesn't spend any time checking kids' movies out, you seem to know quite a bit about this one." She bit back another smile at his affronted look. "It'll be fine, Michael, I promise. We'll take Shy to the movie tonight and then tomorrow's all ours; it's an exchange that's more than fair."

"Yeah, okay," he grumbled, "but I'm only doin' this so we have tomorrow all to ourselves. I mean, I don't mind takin' Shy to the movies, and I know she really wants to see this one, but it's just not what I had planned." His dark gaze traveled over her as he dropped down off of the tailgate and moved to stand in front of her. He felt her thighs settle against his hips when he leaned in closer to her and curled his hands around the cold metal on either side of her. "You have any idea how much sleep I'm gonna lose tonight knowin' that you're sleepin' less than twenty feet away?"

"Who says I'm gonna be sleeping?" she asked, her voice low and teasing.

Michael froze when someone cleared their throat behind him and he slowly straightened up, expecting to see his parents standing there when he turned around. His entire body tensed when he saw Maria's old friends standing in front of them with the two people who she believed had replaced her. "You want somethin'?" he asked, not bothering with pleasantries that they didn't deserve.

"Just to say hi," the one that had to be Alex said.

"Uh-huh, because you're such good friends, right?"Michael growled. _So, what, now he was tryin' to crawl back into Maria's good graces? Not gonna happen, buddy._

"Look, we're not looking to get into a fight. We just stopped to say hi and move along."

Michael's eyes were cold as they raked over each of them in turn. "At what point will you be movin' along?" He felt Maria's hand tighten on his arm and he forced his muscles to relax.

Alex took a step forward and held his hand out in Michael's direction, waiting for several long seconds before he lowered it back to his side. He wasn't really surprised that the guy had ignored the gesture. "Maria, I know there's nothin' I can say to make up for what's happened between us, but – "

Michael shifted when Alex took another step forward, making sure that there was no clear path to Maria. "No, there's nothin' you can say, so why don't you leave without tryin' to say anything at all."

"I just – "

"Did you come over here because you wanna explain why you've treated her the way you did? Or to tell her what the big secret is that was so much more important than a lifetime of friendship?" He shook his head when Alex glanced away regretfully. "No, you didn't. You're here to make yourselves feel better and personally, I couldn't give a damn whether you feel better or not." His gaze shifted to Liz, sweeping over her in disgust.

"This animosity isn't necessary." Max finally spoke up when he felt Liz shiver next to him. "And I don't care for the way you're looking at Liz."

"Oh, you don't care for that?" He took a couple of steps forward, bringing him mere inches from the other guy. "What're you gonna do about it?" His eyes narrowed as he waited to see if Max would make the next move. "Go ahead," he taunted, "I dare you to throw a punch."

Max could feel his temper simmering below the surface. He was surprised to realize that his hands were curling into fists at his sides. He had never met anyone who had caused such a primal reaction in him. Then again, he had never been in love and been faced with someone who had threatened the girl he loved.

"Max, let's just go," Liz said, tugging on his arm.

"Yeah, Max, why don't you just go." Michael's tone was challenging. "You're not gonna make a move anyway."

"You have no idea what I could do to you."

Isabel moved between them when her brother responded to the other guy's baiting tactics, pushing Max back several steps. Her left hand shot out and settled against the guy's chest when he moved forward again. She turned to look at him, meeting his threatening gaze directly. _The tension between them was unbelievable,_ she thought, amazed that he had provoked Max into a near-physical confrontation. She could practically feel the negative energy pulsing in the air between them and her instincts were screaming at her to get Max out of there before he did something that would reveal the truth about them. There was something about the guy, something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but for now she just wanted to get her brother away from him. Where Liz was concerned, Max had shown that he was ready to do anything, including throwing caution to the wind.

"Maria, please…"

Liz's voice drew Maria's attention and she snapped out of the trance she had been in as she watched Michael and Max stand toe-to-toe. She slid down off of the tailgate and moved over to take Michael's right hand, relieved when she felt the tension in him ease after a few minutes.

"Max, let's just go," Liz repeated.

Michael watched them as the little group walked away and he tensed up when Max paused halfway across the parking lot and turned to look at him one more time. _They were gonna meet again,_ he thought. _He could practically feel it._ His attention was pulled away when his sister called his name and he turned to see Shysie running towards him. _Oh, well, no reason to waste any time thinking about his next meeting with the guy._ He let Maria pull him towards his sister and cousin, and he shoved all thoughts of the others out of his mind.


	70. Chapter 69

**Part 69**

Alex walked into his house early Saturday afternoon and called out for his mother; he shrugged and continued on his way when she didn't answer. His father was away on business again and it didn't look like he was going to be home in time for Thanksgiving again this year.

He made a stop in the kitchen and was reaching for the refrigerator door when he glanced up and saw his mother moving around in the backyard. Putting his hunger on hold he went out to see what she was up to and to ask if she needed any help with whatever she was doing.

"Hey, Mom."

Elaine looked up from her perusal of the backyard when she heard her son's voice call out in greeting. "Hi, sweetie. I thought you were going over to Nicky's house to practice with your band?"

"We just had a short practice today; Nicky's parents are getting ready for the trip to Denver next week, Marcos had to go because his dad wanted him to help move some stuff to the garage because they have family coming in for the holiday weekend, and Chris has to babysit his little brother while his mom goes shopping for Thanksgiving dinner."

"So, you're on your own for the day?"

He shrugged. "I'm gonna work on my history project for a while, see if I can find any new information for it."

_He was working on his project alone?_ "Where's Isabel today?"

"What?"

"Isabel, where is she? Normally the two of you are thick as thieves working on that project."

"She's helpin' her mom do some stuff to get ready for Thanksgiving; they're goin' to her grandparents place up in Santa Fe."

"Will they be gone all weekend?"

"Yeah, they're leavin' after school on Wednesday and they're supposed to be back on Sunday afternoon."

Elaine smiled at his dejected expression. "How was the game last night?"

"It was great."

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise at his enthusiastic response. Alex wasn't a very sports-oriented young man and athletics had never been one of his strengths, so she was fairly certain that it had more to do with the company at the game. "Really?"

"She let me compliment her last night and she'd deny it to the ends of the earth and back, but she blushed." Alex grinned. "She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen, Mom, and when she really just lets go and she allows it to come out…" He whistled under his breath as he shook his head. "You wouldn't think it'd be possible for her to be anymore beautiful than she is, but when she smiles that way it's like she just lights up from the inside out, y'know?"

_Young love,_ she thought, smiling indulgently at her only child. "Does this mean you've asked her out?"

"No, she's not ready for that yet. She's still tryin' to adjust to the fact that for once she has a friend who she can trust and who'll be there for her no matter what." He leaned back against the fence and his hands wrapped around the rail at his lower back. "Hey, Mom, d'you think it's stupid to hope that Isabel will look at me one day and see the possibility of somethin' more?"

"What? No, of course not! Why would you even think that?"

"Well, it's just that…" He scratched his chin and shrugged one shoulder. "I know what people say at school. I'm not deaf; I hear the comments they make – "

"Alex, you're a young man that any girl would be lucky to have in her life, whether it's as a friend or a boyfriend, and I think Isabel is going to see that one of these days."

He lowered his head and grinned. "You're biased, Mom."

"Of course I'm biased," she agreed as she moved to stand in front of him. She reached out to lift his chin up. "But, biased or not, I've seen the way that girl watches you when you're not looking, and I've watched her open up a little more each time you guys spend time together. You see something in her that no one else has ever looked for, you've taken your time getting to know who she is… and she's responding to that. She's probably used to guys whose only intention is to get her into the backseat of their father's car; they're not interested in who she is."

"Yeah, I know." He scowled. "They're always braggin' it up in the locker room and they have no idea how stupid they sound. Somethin' that amazes me because none of them have ever gotten anywhere with her and they all know they're lyin'." He chuckled. "Of course, none of them have the nerve to say anything where they know she'll hear it either."

"Well, perhaps they're a bit smarter than they sound."

"Maybe." He straightened away from the fence. "You need any help out here?"

"No, you go on and get to work on your project. I'll be leaving here shortly; I'm having lunch with some friends from the book club. There's a bowl of chicken salad in the fridge and if you check the covered dish on the counter you'll find a fresh batch of walnut brownies."

"Really?"

"Um-hmm, but no more than two, young man. Now go on, I need to get ready."

"Hey, Mom, have you heard from Dad yet?"

"He's putting in extra hours in hopes that he'll be able to catch a flight home on Wednesday evening."

Alex nodded at his mother's hopeful tone, but he knew what she wasn't saying. Every year his father missed at least one of the major holidays and every year she just smiled and insisted that he had done his best to get home in time. "I can go with you to the grocery store tomorrow if you want," he offered.

Elaine smiled at him and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you, sweetie; I'll let you know."

A little while later Alex took a bite of his sandwich as he signed into his email account and waited for it to log on. He scanned through the new emails as he mumbled to himself. "Forward from Nicky, sci-fi club, Liz, comic club, musician's newsletter, Marcos, LoneWolf1099…" He clicked on the last one, skimming the message inside several times, before reading it aloud. "This email is being sent to inform you that Robert Silver Fox has expressed interest in meeting with you. He currently resides in Arizona on the Navajo Reservation…" Alex stared at the contact information in disbelief.

_An actual code talker! All that research had finally paid off! _"Just wait until I tell Isabel!" he shouted in elation.

*****

Late morning sunlight fell over the desert, making everything in sight shimmer as Michael led the way to a destination he hadn't yet shared. Maria looked around, trying to pinpoint their location and failing miserably. He had surprised her when he had asked her if she would mind taking the horses out and then proceeded to load three of the animals into the trailer hitched up behind the truck. They had driven out into the desert for well over an hour before he had pulled off of the unmarked road and parked. After unloading the horses he had secured his photography equipment to one of the poor animals and they had been riding for nearly an hour, going deeper into the desert.

The land was untouched by human hands; there were no signs of the destruction and abuse that humanity had a tendency to leave in its wake. They were surrounded by miles and miles of nature on all sides and the sheer vastness of the land was as intimidating as it was beautiful. She had been born and raised in Roswell, and while it wasn't exactly a metropolis by any means, she was accustomed to the sounds of cars, radios, constant conversations, and other city noises. Here in the desert it was so different; humanity hadn't left its mark on the land, the only sounds were the wind and the occasional cry of one of the large birds that appeared in the sky from time to time.

"We're almost there," Michael said, pulling back on the reins to slow Sundance and giving Rascal time to catch up. He pointed to a spot in the distance and Maria brought her right hand up to shade her eyes. "You probably can't see it yet, but we're only about a mile from where I'm takin' you."

"You weren't kidding when you said this place was secluded."

Michael grinned as he shook his head. "Nope, but trust me, you're gonna love it." He motioned at the sun where it was slowly moving towards its midday position. "We're in luck; the temperature's supposed to hit 60 or pretty close to it and there won't be too much wind. It's a perfect day for photographin' you."

"There's a lot more greenery out here than I'm used to seeing."

Michael just smiled as he tugged gently on the reins, turning Sundance to the right and taking the lead once more. He knew what lay ahead of them; he had spent many hours out on this part of the Reservation over the past few years. If she thought what she was seeing right then was a lot of greenery, he couldn't wait to show her what was waiting on the other side of the cliffs.

"Maggie wasn't too happy about the tied score last night," Maria commented.

"You noticed that, huh?" He chuckled and shook his head as he recalled his sister's monosyllabic responses at breakfast. "Maggie doesn't like to lose and as far as she's concerned, a tied score is the same as a loss."

"So, her behavior is normal?"

"Oh, yeah. She'll be temperamental for the next couple of weeks, but at least we're getting close to Christmas and that always cheers her up." He glanced at her over his shoulder. "She gets ridiculously cheerful over the holidays."

Maria laughed. "Are you gonna try to tell me you don't like Christmas?"

"No, I just don't see why people go out of their way to be extra nice one day outta the year; it's just so phony."

*****

John lowered the newspaper he was reading when Catherine cleared her throat for the third time. He carefully folded it back up and laid it on the table between them before giving her his full attention. "What?"

"I've been thinking about this weekend."

"Um-hmm?" He kept his tone noncommittal even though he already knew where she was going with her opening statement.

"It's become apparent to me that Michael's interest in Maria is not something that's going to simply fade with time." She brushed nonexistent crumbs from the surface of the table as she spoke again. "I was thinking that maybe we should invite Maria and her mother out for Saturday's…" She trailed off and glared at her husband when she heard him chuckling. "This is not funny, John."

"I'm not laughin' at you, Cath; it's just that your less than gracious tone strikes me as funny." He shrugged when she shook her head at him. "I think it's good that you're plannin' to invite Maria and her mother out this weekend; that's a big step for you and I know it'll mean a lot to Michael."

*****

Isabel was walking back to the car when she heard the familiar sound of the long chain on Alex's wallet rattling as it brushed against the leg of his jeans with his movements. She smiled when she saw him and he grinned in response as he called out a greeting. He jogged up the driveway and met her next to the car, holding out a sheet of paper that she accepted with a curious glance at him.

"Just read it."

She scanned over the email printed on the paper and her mouth nearly fell open in shock. "Oh, my… Alex, you found a code talker! Where is he? When can we go meet with him? How far away is it?"

Alex grinned at her excitement, patiently listening as the questions poured out of her faster than he could answer them. "_We_ found him, and he's in Fort Defiance, Arizona. As for when we can meet with him…" He shrugged. "That's up to you. I mapped it and we're probably looking at five and a half hours to get there, so it's gonna have to be a weekend." He frowned when Isabel's face fell. "What?"

"We can't go this weekend… I'm gonna be in Santa Fe."

He reached out and took her hand without thinking about it. "Hey, you've been talkin' about goin' to see your grandparents all week; don't let this take away from that."

"I know, but we've been working on this for so long, Alex."

He could understand her disappointment, but he didn't want it to ruin her weekend with her family. "We'll just go out and see him the following weekend." He paused for a few moments before he lifted their joined hands to nudge her chin up. "Hey, we'll get out to see him, Iz, it's just not gonna be this weekend."


	71. Chapter 70

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the late update! For some reason the site wouldn't let us login on Saturday! So, here it is… better late than never!

**Part 70**

Maria moved up to join Michael near the edge of the cliff when he stopped Sundance and dismounted. Her eyes widened in shock when her gaze swung out over the valley spread out before them. It was like a whole other world! There were trees as far out as she could see, dotting the landscape and covering everything with a blanket of green, right up to the point where they climbed the side of the snowy mountains in the distance.

She dismounted, dropping to the ground and maintaining her balance courtesy of her death grip on the saddle horn. "Michael, this is amazing!"

He glanced at her, taking in her awed expression and the excitement causing her green eyes to sparkle. "Yeah," he muttered gruffly, "it's amazing alright." He wasn't the slightest bit interested in their surroundings at the moment, captivated by her and her reaction to something that meant so much to him.

"Do you ever wonder how things like this are possible? I mean, behind us it's all desert with bushes and trees here and there, but you come up here, to the cliffs, and down below, it's so completely different… it's like being in two places at once." She turned to look at him when he started taking his equipment off of the third horse, setting it on a flat rock before he turned his attention to unsaddling Sundance and Rascal. "What're you doing?"

"We're gonna be here for a while, so this gives them a chance to rest before we have to leave again." He tied the horses off a little ways away and came back to unpack his camera equipment, sitting on the rock and glancing at her as he reached for the first bag. "So, you got any requests for the shots?"

"I don't even know what you've got in mind, so…"

Michael grinned as he checked the lenses in the case. "You'll like what I've got in mind, Maria, but if there're any shots that you'd like to do," he shrugged, "I can work that in, too."

"Oh, no, not that I can think of."

He watched her for a few minutes before he set the camera down in its case. "You're not nervous, are you?"

Maria shrugged. "Maybe a little."

"Why? It's just me takin' the photos; no one else ever has to see them."

"I know, but I'm not…" She waved her hand in a downward motion, gesturing to herself as she shrugged again. "Why do you wanna photograph me?"

"Why?" he repeated, confused. _Why'd he wanna photograph her? What kinda question was that? Because he thought she was the sexiest girl he'd ever seen and he wanted the opportunity to capture her beauty on film. And he wasn't saying any of that out loud!_ He just shook his head and reached out to take her hand, tugging her over to the large rock where his equipment was strewn out. "You've trusted me with everything else so far, so trust me with this too, okay? I promise you won't be disappointed."

Maria swallowed hard and nodded; she trusted him without question. _That wasn't the problem._ "Posing like this is just kinda… I don't know, personal, and cameras have a tendency to point out flaws – "

"I'll take your flaws over perfection any day of the week, Maria. Flaws are part of who we are, they're part of what makes us into the people we become, and I've got my fair share of 'em, so there's no need to worry about that. As long as you trust me, there's nothin' to worry about."

"Okay, I'm putting myself in your hands. And, y'know that thing they always say about the camera adding ten pounds? Well, it'd better not be evident in your photos. Now, where do you want me?"

Michael glanced at the sky and then looked around as he judged the best angle for the shots he wanted to take. After a few minutes of studying the path of sunlight in relation to the landscape he nodded to himself and motioned for her to follow him. "I don't want you to get too close to the edge, but I wanna start with a few shots with the valley as a backdrop. The sun's not too high yet, so…"

Maria just went along with him as he started mumbling to himself about light, distance, depth, and some other stuff that meant nothing to her. Once he was satisfied with things he took a step back and studied her, tipping his head to one side before moving to pick up the notebook lying next to his equipment. "Okay, I've got some outfits in mind for the shots," he said as he flexed his right hand. "Nothin' tacky, but if you wanna check 'em out first…"

"No, I'm trusting you with this, so it's all on you." She watched him as he glanced at the notebook once more, as if he were committing something to memory, before walking back over to her. His hands flexed a couple of times before he placed them at her waist and she could feel their heat through her shirt. Her gaze was riveted on him, captivated by the expression of intense concentration on his face as he manipulated her clothes into something completely different from their original form.

Michael took a couple of steps back to admire his handiwork and he smiled when Maria looked down at herself and he heard her exclamation of disbelief. The dress was a cross between the style worn by late 18th century royalty and something more exotic, similar to those worn in India.

"It's incredible, Michael. I've never seen anything like it; where on earth did you come up with the idea for it?"

He lifted his right hand and scratched his eyebrow with his thumb. "Well, it's not somethin' you'd ever see on Earth. Sometimes I have flashes that I think are from my planet because what I see in them is so drastically different from anything I've ever seen here."

"What makes you think the flashes are from your planet?" she asked curiously.

"Well, the aliens in the flashes kinda give it away, what with their blue skin and white hair… anyway, judgin' by their choice of extravagant clothes I'm guessin' they're more eccentric than humans are." He frowned when she stared at him for several long minutes. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Michael." Maria shook her head and chuckled. "I'm trying to picture you with blue skin and white hair, but I keep coming up with this image of either one of the blue aliens on the old Star Trek or Papa Smurf."

Michael scowled at her comment.

As soon as she noticed his expression Maria carefully crossed the distance separating them, doing her best not to trip over the long dress. "Hey, look at me," she urged, reaching up to frame his face in her hands. "I'm not making fun of you or your people. It's just hard to picture you different than you are; not that it would matter to me if you did look different – "

"You say that – "

"I'm not just saying it, Michael, I mean it." She stretched up to kiss him as her hands slid around his neck to tangle in his hair where it brushed against his collar and it took several moments before he allowed himself to return the kiss. "I would've fallen in love with you regardless of your skin color because you'd still be you where it counts the most." Her right hand settled over his heart and he lifted his left hand to cover hers, pressing it against his chest.

"Papa Smurf, huh?" He shook his head and grinned as he moved her back to her original position. "I guess that'd make you Smurfette?"

"Uh, no!"

"Why not?"

"There were like, hundreds of Smurfs running around in the village… all of them male, and only one Smurfette… you do the math on that one."

Michael chuckled and nodded as he picked up the camera. "Yeah, that always struck me as wrong, too." He brought the camera up and moved around as he tried to line the angle up just right. "Okay," he said just before his finger pressed the button that would freeze her image, "here we go."

*****

Isabel looked up from the paper she had been trying to write for the past hour when she heard the knock on her door. She scowled at the blank sheet of paper as she called out for her visitor to enter and she smiled when her father stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

"Hey, Daddy."

"What're you workin' on, honey?"

She shrugged and held up her Psychology textbook. "I'm supposed to be writing a paper on the evolution of human behavior, but I haven't gotten very far."

Philip glanced at the notebook and the blank page it was turned to. "No, it doesn't look like you've gotten very far at all." He sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up the notebook as he looked at her. "You seem a bit preoccupied," he observed. "You wanna tell your old man about it?"

"I don't know," she hedged. "It's just…"

"Does this have anything to do with your search for your biological parents?"

Isabel bit her bottom lip as she debated what to tell her father. "Well, maybe… Alex may have found something, but it's connected to the Navajo Reservation in the northwestern corner of the state." She shrugged. "Alex found it while he was doing research for a history project we've been working on, and it's just something we wanted to check out."

"So, y'all are workin' on a history project as well? Since when are you interested in anything to do with history?" he teased. "Does this sudden interest have anything to do with Alex? When do I get to meet the young man that's got my little girl excited about history?" The slightest hint of a blush on her cheeks made him pause – his daughter had never once blushed over any guy and he didn't want to make her feel self-conscious or uncomfortable, he wanted her to be able to talk to him without worrying about those things. "So, tell me about this project you're workin' on."

Isabel stared at her father for a few long seconds as she considered what to tell him. After a few minutes she sat up straighter and pulled her long legs up, crossing them Indian-style. She was just bursting to tell someone about the research she and Alex were doing; she knew she couldn't reveal the truth behind it, but this was an opportunity to share something so meaningful to her with her father. "Okay, but, it's a secret."

"Another secret?" Philip asked, surprised.

"Well, it's an extra credit project and we don't want anyone else to take our idea." Her features became animated as she described the project with an enthusiasm that was normally reserved for things like a new fashion line or the Christmas pageant.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she talked about their search for a Navajo code talker and Philip found himself being drawn in as she talked about something that was obviously very important to her. "So, you have an opportunity to actually meet and speak with one of these code talkers?"

"Yeah, they contacted Alex this morning and told him that Robert Silver Fox has agreed to meet with us."

"Uh-huh, and he lives on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona?"

"Um-hmm, Alex said it's about a five and a half hour drive out there; he's already mapped it out and everything, see?" She leaned over to grab another notebook and pulled the email and directions that he had printed off and left with her. She handed them to her father and watched him as he scanned over the information contained within the papers.

"Not exactly the kind of trip you could take on a school day, is it?" he asked after a few minutes.

"No, I guess not."

Philip nodded and he handed the papers back to her as he stood up, leaning over to drop a kiss on her head. "Mom said dinner would be ready shortly and I have a few calls to make before then, so I'd better go take care of that." He paused in the doorway and turned to look at his daughter. "We'll figure somethin' out, honey." He winked at her and smiled. "Trust me."

*****

Michael finished checking the last few shots he had taken before removing the memory card and replacing it with a fresh one. He had lost count of the number of photos he had taken so far; it was enough to fill up the first memory card but he wanted to be ready if another photographic opportunity presented itself.

"Which it just did," he muttered to himself as he turned around and his gaze landed on his sleeping girlfriend. She had been wearing a long medieval dress in the last set of photographs he had taken, lying on a blanket on the sand, the dress draped in such a way that the blanket couldn't be seen. After he had finished with the shots she had taken his jacket and rolled it up, resting her head on it as she watched him check over his work.

Apparently she had closed her eyes to rest them and before long she had dozed off, her face completely relaxed and peaceful. He studied her, his mind searching for the perfect outfit for the shot she had presented him with. He smiled as it came to him and he moved to kneel down next to her, running his hands over the dress and transforming it into a long, flowing gown made of a gossamer material that shimmered in the sunlight. He moved back and grabbed the camera, dropping down to lie flat on the sand with his weight braced on his elbows as he brought the camera up, carefully cradled in his hands as he lined up the shot.

He shook his head as he thought about her fear that the camera would highlight her flaws and draw attention to her imperfections. They were the very things that made her who she was; without them she would be someone altogether different, someone he wouldn't have been attracted to.

He smiled as he snapped off a series of pictures, chuckling to himself as he remembered how animated she had become once she had gotten comfortable in front of him and his camera. She was a natural and the more relaxed she had gotten the more her confidence had shown through and he knew the photographs were going to be beautiful.

He shifted to a new angle when the wind picked up just enough to create a breathless effect as it gently blew over her prone body, ruffling her hair and lifting the gauzy material of the dress. He finished the last set of shots and put the camera away so it would be safe from the sand being blown around and then he stretched out beside her, his hands quickly transforming the long gown back into her original outfit of jeans and a pink tee shirt.

_She honestly had no idea how beautiful she was,_ he thought as he cradled his chin in his left hand and just watched her. _Did the rest of the world notice it? Probably not._ He doubted that most people had ever seen what he saw when he looked at her, but that was fine with him.

His right hand stretched out in her direction and he used his fingertips to trace over her features. Despite his eye for photography he had never spent so much time studying a single person's face, and he wanted to commit every inch of her to memory. His heated gaze was filled with intensity as it slid over her body, tracing its lines and curves before retracing the visual path he had just taken. He froze for a moment when his eyes lifted to her face and he was met by her amused green gaze.

"What's on your mind, Spaceboy?" Her tone matched her expression.

Michael stared at her and his world suddenly shifted on its axis before righting itself as he realized that the feelings he had for her had a name. _Holy hell! He was in love with her! _ Whoa, this was real… it was… it was life-altering. He had known that his feelings for Maria ran deep, but he had never expected to have a connection with this much depth.

Even though his emotions and his connection with her ran deep he had never dared to examine it too closely or to attempt to define it. His gaze traced over her features as he studied her with this new revelation fresh in his mind, almost feeling as if he were seeing her for the very first time.

Maria had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from voicing the questions running through her mind as his scrutinizing gaze roamed over her face. The expressions on his face were rapidly chasing after each other; shock, a hint of fear, amazement, incredulity, and finally acceptance. It was killing her to remain silent, but she could tell that there was something big going on and that he needed to work through it on his own.

Michael shifted closer to her and his right hand came up to rest his palm against her neck as his thumb swept from her jaw, up over her cheek, and back again. He saw the unasked questions in her eyes as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers and he growled when she latched onto his shoulders and rolled onto her back, pulling him on top of her.

The flashes were unexpected and Michael quickly realized that he had no control over them. Having never experienced the flashes while kissing any other girl he quickly pulled back and stared down at Maria apologetically. "I'm sorry," he muttered, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth. "That's never happened before… I don't know – "

Maria was amazed by the intensity of the flashes; it was her first time experiencing them, but it was the fact that the images were accompanied by emotions that surprised her. It had to mean something that she had gotten the flashes because he had just admitted that it had never happened with anyone else. _He had just given her something that no one else had ever been given access to,_ she realized. "You let me in, Michael… you really let me in," she said, smiling as she reached up to frame his face in her hands.

His expression showed reluctance, hesitation, and there was just slightest shadow of fear and doubt in his dark eyes. "It doesn't bother you?"

Maria carded her fingers through his hair as she shook her head. "It wasn't something that I was expecting, but no, it doesn't bother me." She tugged him closer and kissed him again. "Did you get flashes too?"

"That depends," he said, his tone teasing. "Did you have a Dalmatian dog when you were a kid?"

"Oh, my God! Really? You saw that?"

"Yeah." He shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know how to control the flashes, Maria, so either of us could see anything about the other. If you're not comfortable with that…"

"Michael, we've all got embarrassing stuff in our pasts, and if you were anyone else I wouldn't be okay with stuff like that being found out. But, you're not anyone else," she said as she pressed a line of kisses along his stubborn jaw. "I think I'll survive if you see anything like that, but what about you?"

He shifted his weight onto his left elbow as his right hand came up to grasp her chin and direct her gaze to his. "You know what I am, you know who I am, you've survived my family, and you've accepted my search for the truth and taken it on as if it were your own." He lowered his head to kiss her and paused when he was less than a breath away. "I love you, Maria" he whispered against her lips, "and there's nothin' I need to hide from you."


	72. Chapter 71

**Part 71**

Maria closed the distance between them and her arms slid around him, holding him tightly against her body as the kiss deepened. She shifted slightly, raising her left leg and bending it at the knee; the movement caused him to settle more fully against her and she sighed at how right it felt. The blood was rushing through her veins and her heart was pounding so hard her entire body felt like it was vibrating.

After several minutes of intense kissing they pulled apart to draw deep breaths into their oxygen-deprived lungs. It wasn't until her heartbeat began to level out into a normal rhythm that Maria realized she could still feel that vibrating feeling, but she quickly noticed that it was coming from beneath her body and not inside of it.

"Does Santana's herd run this far out?" she asked, distracted by Michael's hot, damp breath gusting against her neck.

He lifted his head from its resting place against her shoulder and turned his head to one side to listen to the sounds around them. He placed his hand flat against the sand next to Maria's hip and he smiled when he felt the ground tremble. "Yeah, and they're not far away either."

Maria accepted his hand and let him pull her to her feet when he stood, following him around the large outcropping of rocks. The herd was easily visible from where they were standing and she watched with interest as Michael continued walking towards them. She stopped when he stopped, nodding when he held a hand up in a bid for silence.

Santana was constantly moving around the herd, small ears flicking back and forth as he assessed the area for any threats that might be lurking. Mirage was close by, her dark eyes following him as she slowed and her uneven gait became pronounced.

"Michael, he's limping."

"Yeah, I see that." He moved back and she followed him, watching as he removed something from the saddlebags. "I'm gonna go out there and check him, but you're gonna have to stay back."

Maria nodded, following him and standing at the edge of the outcropping of rocks as he moved out into the open desert. The mares began to move around restlessly as Michael approached them and her breath stalled in her throat when Santana's ears suddenly lowered, lying flat against his head. For the longest time they stood there, each waiting to see what the other would do.

She didn't realize she was holding her breath until Santana took a few steps in Michael's direction before stopping once more. The stallion's ears slowly lifted until they were standing upright again and then he took a few more halting steps. Mirage stood nearby, observing the interaction between the intruder and her mate and Maria could see that the mare was ready to move in if she felt that Michael was a threat.

The scene was one that no one else would ever get the chance to see and she crept back to gather up the camera so that she could capture the unbelievable sight on film. Taking up a position that would keep her safely out of harm's way she lifted the camera up and centered the lens on Michael and Santana. The stallion had taken a few more steps and he was less than a dozen feet from Michael now.

She watched as Santana finally took the last few steps to where Michael stood, patiently waiting, his posture relaxed and non-threatening. She had no idea how long they stood there evaluating each other before Michael reached out to gently stroke the large animal's neck and shoulder. His movements were slow, his touch compassionate, and he slowly widened the path his hand was taking until he was stroking from the shoulder all the way down the horse's front leg. Eventually Santana shifted his stance slightly and Michael leaned against his shoulder and bent over, applying pressure to the lower part of the horse's leg.

He pulled something out of his pocket after examining Santana's hoof, and after a few minutes he released the horse's leg and took a step back. The stallion took several steps back, almost as if he were testing to see if whatever Michael had done had helped. His experimental movements must have convinced him that everything was fine because he tossed his head and snorted loudly before dancing backwards to stand next to Mirage.

Maria wondered what it was about animals that allowed them to sense that Michael was different, and how they knew he meant them no harm. She was just about to go and put the camera back when Mirage moved towards Michael, her head lowered and her ears standing straight up.

Michael kept his movements slow and easy to avoid startling the mare as he reached up to stroke her face, his hand gently rubbing the wide area between her eyes. After a few minutes she moved back out of touching distance and returned to Santana's side, and the pair remained in their designated spots until Michael had taken his leave and was out of their sight.

"Oh, my God, that was incredible!" Maria exclaimed when he joined her.

"He just had a stone caught up in his hoof." He glanced at the camera she held in her hands. "You know no one can ever see those, right?"

"So? I can see them. We'll put them with the pics you took of me since no one can see them either." She stretched up to kiss him when he reached out to remove the camera from her hands. "You're pretty amazing, d'you know that?"

Michael shrugged. "Yeah."

Maria slapped his shoulder and walked beside him. "I suppose we need to start heading back pretty soon, huh?"

He glanced up at the sky, noting that the sun was heading towards the western horizon and the air was turning chilly. "Yeah, it's getting close to dinnertime, too."

She laughed at his eager tone and shook her head, not commenting as she helped him gather everything up.

*****

Diane Evans stared at her husband as if he had lost his brilliant mind. "You want to let our daughter do what?"

"I know it sounds extreme, but you should've seen her, Diane! She's actually excited about this."

She didn't look the least bit impressed. "So, because Isabel's excited about this project you think it's a good idea to let her go off with this young man… to another state… is that correct? Just because Alex ran across some information that might possibly have something to do with our children being abandoned in the desert – "

"Diane, you know how extensive the research into our children's pasts was and you know that if there was anything to find that I would've found it. Sure, there are little bits and pieces out there that may seem like they're connected to Max and Isabel's abandonment, and the information he's found probably seems credible to them because they're seventeen years old and they think they know what they're doing…" He shook his head and waved his hands uselessly. "It won't lead anywhere. Look, they're workin' on a school project and they wanna go out to the Reservation to interview a code talker from World War II, it's nothin' more than that."

"And what if they pursue the lead about her past and they raise the wrong questions, Philip? What if they say or do something that draws the wrong kind of attention and it throws up a red flag?" She shook her head. "You know how dangerous it could be if that were to happen."

"There's only one lead that they could've possibly found in that direction and I know for a fact that it won't pan out."

"What happens if they start looking deeper?"

"We've always known that the time was gonna come when we were gonna have to sit down with them and explain that we're aware that they're different." He shook his head. "You've always suspected that they're aware that they're not like everyone else around them and we've never said anything because you're worried about how they'll react to knowin' the truth – "

"_We_ don't even know the truth, Philip! All we know is that they're somehow different." Diane fought to control the panic that was clawing at her. She had witnessed her children doing things over the years, small things that no one else had ever noticed, and she had known from the very first time she had seen Max heal a pigeon with a broken wing that she and Philip had to protect them from ever being singled out for their unusual abilities.

Philip moved to take his wife in his arms, holding her close against him. "They're gonna find out eventually – if they don't already know – but, it's not somethin' they're gonna discover while they're interviewing an old man for a school project. She needs to do this, Diane, and I think we need to let her."

*****

Maria turned to lean against the passengers' side door to watch Michael as he started the truck and pulled out to begin the drive back to his house. It had taken more than an hour to make their way back to the truck and it would take another hour at least to reach his family's home, so they would be arriving just in time for dinner.

"How d'you feel about college?" she asked finally.

Michael glanced at her in the fading light, wondering where that question had come from. He reached up to scratch his eyebrow with his thumb and tried to pull his thoughts together before composing his answer. "Well," he cleared his throat, "my parents are a lot more excited about it than I am." He frowned when he realized he was hedging his response. _Might as well just put it out there,_ he thought, uncertain of her reaction to his feelings on the subject. "I don't know if I'm really college material or not. I do know that I wanna take some time off after graduation; I definitely don't wanna just go right back to school after a couple months off."

Maria smiled, relieved. It looked like she and Michael were both on the same wavelength when it came to the subject of more school. They weren't that enthusiastic about going directly to college after slaving and studying for years in school. They were free spirits and they wanted to experience life, not read about it. "Yeah, me either. Do your parents know how you feel?"

_Hell no! He wanted peace at home for his last few months in high school and making the announcement that he had no intention of attending college was a sure-fire way to start a war between his parents and himself. No, no, he'd wait until the last minute to drop that bomb on them. _"No, I haven't said anything. It's kind of a big deal, getting into college and everything, especially here on the Rez, but…"

"Your heart's not in it," Maria guessed, easily reading his thoughts as they expressed themselves on his face.

"No." He was relieved that she understood.

"But, you haven't talked to your parents about it," she said.

"Does your mom know how you feel about it?"

"Uh-huh, we've talked about it and she's cool with it; you've gotta remember that my mom's not like other parents though. She believes that a college education's a good thing to pursue, but if I decide it's not a good fit for me she's not gonna force the issue." She watched his right hand clench and unclench spasmodically around the gear shift before moving her gaze to his tense jaw. "You don't think your parents are gonna react well when you tell them that you wanna take time off?" She reached out to take his hand, automatically seeking out the pressure points. "Hey, talk to me."

"I think they're gonna be disappointed," he grated out.

Maria knew how much that would hurt him but she also knew what it would do to him if he forced himself to go along with his parents' plans for his future just to make them happy. "I know you don't wanna let your parents down, Michael, but if you seriously wanna take time off before going to college you've gotta tell them."

"They're not like your mom, Maria." He shook his head. "They're not gonna just accept that I don't wanna go from high school into college."

"Maybe not," she conceded, "but, you're gonna have to talk to them about it. If your heart's not in it you're just gonna spend the next four years miserable and unhappy and that's just not acceptable."

Michael glanced at her and smiled, squeezing her hand as he nodded. "Yeah, I know I've gotta talk to them, and I will." He shrugged and turned his attention back to the road. "I don't know when, but I'm gonna talk to them."

"What do you wanna do after graduation?"

"I don't know… travel maybe. What about you?"

Maria laughed quietly. "Travel. I think I've spent enough time in school for a while and there're so many things I wanna see, so many places I wanna visit, before locking myself into another four years of studying… if I even decide that's what I wanna do."

"Maybe I'll talk to my parents about it after the holidays."

"Can you believe that Thanksgiving's only a few days away?" Maria settled back more comfortably, his hand held between both of hers in her lap. "Do you guys celebrate Thanksgiving?"

"Yeah, we like to dress up and reenact that first Thanksgiving; it's such a monumental point in our history."

Maria frowned at him; he had made the statement with a completely straight face but she was certain he was pulling her leg. "Seriously, Michael."

He chuckled. "No, we don't celebrate Thanksgiving. The entire family gets together the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but not in honor of the so-called holiday. It's just a chance to spend some time together, hang out, and catch up on what's goin' on with everyone."

"So, your whole family gets together? Wow, that's amazing." She released his hand when he tugged it free to reach for the gearshift. "Hey, will your cousin Shyanne be coming too?"

"Probably. I haven't talked to her, but I'm sure she'll be there." He shrugged. "Why?"

Maria hesitated for a moment, wondering how Michael would react to what she was about to say. She knew more about his cousin's private life than he did; she doubted that the girl had confided in "the bear" about her fiancé. Shyanne hadn't been able to bring herself to ask her aunt and uncle about inviting her fiancé to the barbecue and Maria was certain that it would help her to feel more welcome if he were included. "You should give her a call this week and tell her to bring her fiancé Nick; it'd mean a lot to her."

Michael shot a quick glance at her. _Shyanne and her fiancé Nick?_ That was news to him. Maria seemed to have gotten along well with his cousins, which was good. Especially in Shyanne's case; he knew the girl felt like an outsider at family gatherings. "Isn't it up to her whether or not she invites her fiancé to a family thing?"

"Yeah, but it'd mean a lot to her if someone extended the invitation to include her fiancé; she doesn't feel like she fits in here, and she likes you so you're the perfect one to call her."

"Okay, I can give 'er a call." He checked the clock on the dashboard as they pulled in and drove around to the barn. "Just enough time to get the horses unloaded, taken care of, and get washed up before dinner." He parked the truck and turned to look at Maria. "Hey, your mom's not gonna care if you get back late, is she?"

"No, it's a Saturday night, so she won't mind."

Michael nodded and opened his door, sliding out from behind the wheel. He let Maria help him as he unloaded the horses and took care of them before turning them loose in their stalls. As soon as they were finished with the horses Michael hosed the trailer down and backed it into its regular parking spot. Once the trailer was unhitched he drove back to the front of the house and pulled into the driveway, rolling his eyes when he saw his sister practicing her shots.

Maggie paused when her brother got out of the truck that had just pulled in a short distance behind her. She lowered her arms and bounced the basketball on the pavement a few times before aiming for the basket.

"Shouldn't you be getting cleaned up for dinner?" Michael asked, snatching the ball out of the air when she took the shot.

"I'm not the one who's been out riding all afternoon," Maggie said, glancing between her brother and his girlfriend.

Michael laughed when he saw the jealousy flare to life in her dark eyes. "Enjoy your day with the girls?" he asked, smirking. He knew she was regretting the agreement they had made the night before because she had only gotten a short amount of time with her boyfriend while he had spent the entire day with his girlfriend. "You an' Jesse have a good time last night?"

"Dinner'll be ready in ten minutes, kids," John called from the porch.

Maggie was shooting daggers at Michael as she passed him, annoyed that she had lost the game the night before, irritated that she had missed out on an opportunity to spend the day with Jesse, and pissed off because her parents had said no when she had asked about spending the following weekend with her friends.

"Hey, what's up with you?" Michael asked, grabbing her arm as she moved past him. "I know you're pissed about the game, pissed about spendin' the day with a bunch of girls instead of your boyfriend, and I don't know what else, but you can stop takin' it out on me right now." He lowered his voice, knowing Maria was standing far enough away that she wouldn't hear his next words. "Why don't you try enjoyin' the fact that Mom likes the person you're with, Maggie? You don't have to worry about how upset she is with you or if she's disappointed in you because of the person you've chosen to be with. At least you don't have to defend him to her because she actually likes Jesse; she doesn't give you that look when you guys go out on a date or when you're on the phone with him. I shouldn't have to defend the woman I love to Mom; she should just be glad that I found someone who loves me and all my differences, but she's not, Maggie, and I have to live with that every friggin' day."

Maggie looked up at him, surprised by the ferocity in his voice. Sure, she knew he had feelings for Maria; he wouldn't have allowed her to get so close if he didn't have a strong connection with her, but she hadn't expected him to admit it out loud. She was aware that their mother hadn't fully accepted Maria and it was causing tension between them, but she could hear the stress underlying his words as he spoke. "Sorry," she muttered. "I know I'm takin' my bad mood out on you and I didn't mean to."

Michael straightened up and shrugged. "Okay."

"Look, Mom's working the late shift at the hospital tonight so she's going in after dinner, Dad's working a double tomorrow so he's gonna be resting, and I've gotta knock out some Economics homework after dinner, so…"

"So, you want me to take Shy with me when I take Maria back home," he guessed.

Maggie smiled and nodded. "Thanks!"

Michael rolled his eyes and glanced over his shoulder, nodding at Maria and letting her know it was okay for her to join him. "Ready to eat?" he asked, taking her hand as they walked up to the house.

"Yeah, I'm starving!" she admitted with a smile. "Is everything okay between you and Maggie?"

"We're good. Shy's gonna ride with us back to your place after dinner since everyone else's gonna be busy."

Maria nodded, accepting his answer. She knew if it was anything serious he would bring it up when he was ready.


	73. Chapter 72

**Part 72**

Amy was checking on the pumpkin pie in the oven when she heard the door behind her open. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at her daughter before quickly turning her attention back to the pie. "Hi, honey."

"Hey, Mom."

"How was the game last night?"

Maria smiled as she remembered Michael's brief stint as a mascot. "It was great. The game ended in a tie though, and Maggie wasn't very happy about that."

Amy slid the rack back inside and closed the oven door before turning to look at her daughter. "And after the game?"

"She still wasn't happy about it," Maria answered, deliberately misunderstanding her mother's question. She laughed when Amy gave her a look. "Well, we ran into Liz and Alex after the game."

Amy was surprised. "Liz and Alex were at the game?"

"Yeah, it surprised me too."

"Did you talk to them?"

"Not really." She chuckled as she thought about her boyfriend's behavior. "Michael ran interference when I ran into them at halftime and again when they found me after the game. At least they waited until everyone took off for the party before they tried to talk to me."

"Back up," Amy insisted. "What party?"

"Michael and I didn't go to the party; he's not real big on crowds, so we went to a movie."

"Uh-huh."

She bit her lip when her mother's imagination kicked into overdrive.

Amy frowned. She was trying to decide which of those two options would be the worst option: parties without parental supervision held plenty of opportunities for hormonal teenagers, but was it as bad as a darkened movie theater without parental supervision?

Maria waited several minutes before walking over to the refrigerator and pulling the door open. "Yeah, Shy really enjoyed the movie."

"You took his cousin to the movie," Amy breathed, unaware of just how relieved she sounded.

"Well, we figured it was only fair since Maggie offered to take Shy this afternoon so we could spend some time together."

Warning bells went off in Amy's head as her mind flew over every possible scenario. "So, you spent the day together… doing what?"

Maria was having a hard time keeping a straight face as her mother tried to figure out what they had been doing all day. "We took the horses and went out into the desert. Did you know that the farther west you go the greener it gets? It's like being in a completely different state."

"You'd have to go pretty far to see that much of the forest," Amy commented, frowning. "I thought you went horseback riding?"

"We did. Michael trailered the horses and we drove for an hour, maybe a little more, and then we rode the horses to this place that was absolutely incredible!"

For someone who had never been that excited about getting out of the city limits and communing with Mother Nature, Maria was certainly… _enthusiastic_ about the great outdoors all of the sudden. "Uh-huh," she said slowly. "Absolutely incredible… trees, mountains, wild animals, bugs…"

"Mom, it was amazing! Oh, and we saw Santana's herd again. Michael got some great shots of them…"

_Maria's interest in Mother Nature suddenly made sense,_ Amy thought, no longer paying attention as her daughter talked about her boyfriend and his abilities as a photographer. _Wait a minute! _"Where are the pictures?"

"The pictures?" Maria frowned when her mother interrupted her story. "Michael has them."

"I'll just bet he does. When can I see them?"

Maria smiled. _Her mother was so obvious._ Michael had told her he was going to make a second disc that she could show her mother, but he had to alter some of the images first. "He said it'd take a couple of days because he's gotta go through and separate some family photos that were on there." She rolled her eyes. "Call his mom if you think he took any pictures that were inappropriate. Geez, Mom, between you and Catherine, it's amazing that we've even managed to make-out a few times."

"Yes, well, how inconsiderate of us," Amy said drolly. "Speaking of Michael's mother, Catherine called a little while ago."

"Why? To make sure Michael dropped me off and came right back like a good little boy?" She rolled her eyes and sat down at the table, crossing her arms over her chest.

Amy studied her daughter carefully. She seemed to be awfully sarcastic where Catherine was concerned. "That's a little harsh, don't you think?"

Maria rolled her eyes. _No, it wasn't. _Somewhere along the way, Catherine had started to be a serious pain in the ass for Michael because of his relationship with her, and she was still wondering what either of them had done to cause that. "Well, considering that Catherine seems to have developed a pretty severe problem with me and Michael as a couple, no, I don't think it's harsh at all." She sighed and started to drum her fingertips on the surface of the table. "What'd she want?"

"She called to invite us out to a family get-together on Saturday."

"What?" Maria's fingers froze, mid-drum, and her gaze shot up to her mother.

"Yeah, apparently she and Michael's father thought it would be a good idea since the two of you are getting so close."

"Uh-huh, more like so she can pull you aside and tell you what a bad idea it is for us to see each other."

Amy smiled at Maria's pissed off tone. "Maria, honey, I think you're judging Catherine unfairly. You can't possibly understand the worries and fears that she has for her children, and until you have children of your own – in the far, far, far away future – you're not gonna understand it. I'm sure it seems like she's being too hard on the two of you, but she's just trying to protect her child."

Maria pouted. _Sure, her mom could be right about maternal instinct, but come on! Michael wasn't a little kid anymore. He was ready to leave home, with or without her being around, meddling in his life. _"So, because she's trying to protect Michael – who doesn't need to be protected by his mommy – she's intent on driving a wedge between us!"

Amy watched her daughter as she got up and started pacing around the room, her stride agitated and her arms waving around erratically as she ranted. This seemed to be a little more serious than a simple matter of disagreement between a girl and her boyfriend's mother. "Have you and Catherine had an argument or a disagreement of some sort?" she asked.

"No. She's never said a word to me directly, but it's obvious that she has a problem with me and Michael being together."

Amy was quiet for several minutes, going over all of the information she had so far. Her daughter certainly had a dramatic flair at times, and she could be excitable, but Maria sounded genuinely upset. "Does Catherine have any reason to be expressing this much concern?"

"No." Maria turned to look at her mother. _What exactly was she insinuating? That she and Michael had done something to piss Catherine off?_

"So, the two of you haven't been caught in any compromising positions – " Amy stopped. It was one thing to talk about sex with her daughter in a generalized way, and something altogether different to talk about her daughter's sexual life in a more direct manner.

Maria grunted furiously. "We haven't had sex, Mom, and other than his mom catching us kissing once or twice, we haven't done anything that could possibly cause her to act like this."

_Well, that was a relief._ "And again, you're not a mother so you can't understand her fears and concerns." Amy paused a moment, mentally recalling every relaxation technique she had ever learned. "How serious are you and Michael? I mean, do you feel like this is just a high school thing, or are you possibly thinking something more long-term?"

Maria thought about that for a moment. _She already knew how serious she was about Michael, the question was, how should she tell her mother?_ "Well, to be honest, it's very serious. As in, I can see myself with him for the rest of my life serious."

All of the calming and relaxing techniques flew out the window at Maria's admission. Catherine's concerns suddenly became clear and Amy jumped up from her seat to pace around the room. "Maria, I think you need to seriously think about what you're saying here. You don't know what it's like to be so committed to someone at your age; it's a very difficult thing. Commitment is not something that should be taken lightly; once you make that kind of decision you're gonna be missing out on so many things."

"Like what, Mom?" _Oh, God, her mother was on the warpath! She should've kept her mouth shut._

_Children were so easily blinded by young love!_ Amy could feel a major headache coming on. "I don't know! Traveling, you said you wanted to travel… you can't do that at your age if you're tied down to someone. What about all of the things that you'll miss out on? The experiences you'll never get the chance to… to… experience? What about other boys? Do you know how many boys there are in the world? If you make a commitment of this magnitude at your age – "

Maria wasn't gonna let her mother's fears turn her away from her intentions. It was her life, and her choices to make. "What do you think I'm gonna miss out on, Mom? Do you think being with Michael would somehow take away my dreams and ambitions? Because it won't."

Amy could see that Maria was determined. She had to be careful about what she said here because the teenager seemed very serious about Michael and she wouldn't listen to her own mother if she started trying to tell her about dumping him after graduating for the sake of traveling or meeting other guys. "Maria, honey, I know how real this relationship feels to you right now, but this is a far cry from the reality of being 18 years old and having to worry about how you're gonna pay the rent and the bills. When you have to worry about those things while making dinner and taking care of someone else… honey, it's not an easy thing to do at that age. Living together is difficult and as romantic as it may seem to you right now, the reality of it is a far cry from the fairy tale that you see as a young woman in love. Men are not easy people to live with."

Maria laughed quietly. "Do you really think I'm that naïve? Mom, I know you don't know Michael very well, but trust me when I tell you that I would never expect life with him to be easy. He can be extremely difficult on a good day, but I'm willing to take that risk with him. I don't care how hard it is, or what you think I'm missing out on, because the truth is that with him, I never have to worry about missing out on anything."

_It was time to turn this conversation in another direction, _she thought. She could defend her relationship to her mother all day long, but the only thing that would really convince her was time. "So, now that we've discussed how serious my relationship with Michael is, why don't we talk about the guy you've been seeing?"

Amy waved one hand dismissively. _Oh, no, they weren't finished discussing Maria's relationship yet!_ "Are you thinking about having sex with Michael?"

Maria cleared her throat and turned to lean back against the counter, her fingers wrapping tightly around the edge. "Yes, I am." There was no point in lying about it because her mother would see right through it and they had never lied to each other.

"I see." Amy was struggling to hold onto the memory of her happy place but it wasn't helping. Whoever had invented all of the relaxation techniques she had learned over time had obviously been childless. No one in their right mind could possibly achieve anything close to relaxation with a hormonal teenager under their roof.

"Mom, you should really do some of those breathing exercises before you pass out from oxygen deprivation." She watched her mother for several minutes, observing her reactions. "Did you want me to lie to you?"

"No, of course not," Amy denied. "I had just hoped that the answer would be no." She smiled faintly and shook her head. "I know how unrealistic that is."

"Mom, you've done a great job raising me; you've made sure I know how to take care of myself and that includes knowing what to do and how to protect myself when Michael and I take that step."

Amy smiled, happy about the way that her daughter was talking right now. She shouldn't have too much to worry about where Maria was concerned, but she couldn't help it. She was a mother and worry was in her blood. "I didn't do such a great job of leading by example. My past history with men was never something to be proud of and I just don't want you to make the same mistakes I've made."

Maria knew that. She had grown up not wanting to repeat her mother's mistakes, especially when it came to relationships and men. "Sometimes it's just as important to learn what not to do."

Amy sighed. Maria had learned a lot by watching her, but it looked like she might have learned more than her mother had intended. That had always been one of her fears, that being who she was would force her daughter to grow up too fast. "I just don't want you to get so hung up on Michael that you put your own life on hold for him, honey. That first love can be very sweet and intense, and it can seem like it'll last forever – "

Maria couldn't help but turn her gaze towards the ceiling, praying for help from above. Her hippie mother, who lived by the mantra _'sex is good, sex is fun'_, was having a problem with love and sex when it came to her little girl. _Who would've thought that it was possible? Yeah, certainly not her!_ "Mom, Michael and I are both grounded pretty well and while forever's a nice thought, neither of us buy into the fairy tale romance mythology." She smiled. "We're gonna take every minute we have together and if that ends up being a lifetime then we'll gladly take it, but we're not putting any pressure on ourselves. And as far as putting my life on hold goes… Michael wouldn't let that happen."

"You have a lot of faith in him." She studied her daughter. The girl was so sure of Michael. Amy had seen and experienced enough of life to know perfectly well that nothing lasted forever and she didn't want Maria to go through a terrible heartache if things didn't work out with the boy. Considering how strong her love for him was and how serious she was about him, a breakup would devastate her. She could only hope that life wouldn't be as hard on Maria as it had been on her.

Maria nodded. "Yeah, I do. You don't have to worry that I'm gonna lose myself, or that I'm gonna miss out on anything that life has to offer just because we're together at our age."

Amy watched her daughter and a wave of pride swept over her. She had managed to raise Maria to become a beautiful young woman; she was biased of course, but she was pretty sure she had earned that right.

_It was time to change the subject. _"Okay, so let's talk about your mystery man now." _Her mother wasn't gonna get away with avoiding her side of the discussion this time, not after grilling her like that about Michael._

"Well, I don't know that I'd call him…" She trailed off to look at her daughter when she started to laugh. "What?"

"You're kidding, right? Mom, you've been keeping this guy under wraps, so either he's someone you shouldn't be dating – like Howard, or it's more serious than you've let on." She watched her mother, amused when she started to fidget. "Are you sleeping with him?"

"Maria!"

"What? You asked about me and Michael."

"And I am your mother." She pushed her hair behind her left ear. "I have every right to ask that question."

"Uh-huh. So, that's a yes." She rolled her eyes expressively. "Mom, you've stayed out until dawn several times over the past few months." She held her hands up and her eyebrows lifted in a _hello, I'm not stupid_ gesture.

Amy was feeling defensive in the face of her daughter's questions. _Oh, the irony,_ she thought. "I'm not seeing Howard, Maria, and I'm pretty sure I've already told you that."

Maria sighed, relieved at the confirmation. "Okay, so, who is he?"

"He's… he's someone I am thinking about in a… serious way."

"What, like moving in with him? Or, him moving in with us?"

_That hurt._ There was no judgment in Maria's tone, only curiosity, but the questions only served as a reminder that her past relationships were a long line of train wrecks. "No, he wants something more permanent; he wants commitment, marriage, children… he wants the whole package and it's just a lot to think about."

Maria studied her mother's features, reading the different emotions as they crossed her face. "He's asked you to marry him?"

"Several times." She shook her head. "I don't know why he's still chasing after me."

Maria smiled. It looked like her mother was in need of her advice. _That was funny!_"The man is obviously waiting for you to catch him." She sobered after a moment. "That's why you went up to the institute, huh? So you could try to figure out what to do."

"Um-hmm."

"And?"

Amy hesitated. _It was such a difficult decision to make, one that would involve the rest of her life. _"Oh, I don't know, honey. I mean, it's a lot to – "

Maria could see that her mother was struggling with the decision. _Was she still hurting over her father's abandonment, even after all of these years? Was that why she couldn't, or wouldn't, follow the natural path that came with seriously dating someone? _"Do you love him?"

"Yeah, I do."

_Right, well, that was the first, and most important, thing to know. Now, on to other points that would help her mother with this dilemma._ "Is he a good man? Does he have a job? Will he be able to take care of you? Are you sure he loves you?"

"Yes, to all of that."_ It sounded so easy, the way Maria was presenting the situation, so why was she still so hesitant?_

"Then what're you waiting for?" The answer came to her before she had even finished voicing the question. "You're waiting for him to leave like every other guy you've been with."

Amy sat down at the kitchen table, exhausted by her daughter's ceaseless interrogation. "That's wrong, isn't it?"

"It's not fair. Especially if he's as great as you've made him sound. Not that I would know since I've never met him."

Amy could hear the reproach in Maria's voice. She wanted to know the guy that was important enough to be making her mother question her decision to remain single. _Being a mother wasn't easy, and being a single mother had certainly been challenging at times. She had been trying to protect Maria by not introducing her to Gabriel, just in case things didn't work out. She didn't want Maria to get attached to him and then end up hurt if they went their separate ways and she lost someone else in her life that she had grown to care for. Only now she was seeing that her plan had backfired because Maria was feeling left out by her mother's decision to keep her relationship private. _"I'm working up to it, Maria."

"Okay, well, no pressure." She crossed the room to hug her mother. "If he really makes you happy and you love him, don't push him away, Mom."

Amy wiped the tears from her eyes after her daughter left the room. Sometimes their roles were so reversed that it was hard to remember which one of them was the parent and which one was the child.


	74. Chapter 73

**Part 73**

Alex was stacking his books in his locker when someone leaned up against the locker next to his. He grinned as he pulled the locker door towards him to look at Isabel. "Hi."

"So, has your mom decided what you guys are doing for Thanksgiving?"

"We're havin' dinner with Liz and her parents. My dad's not gonna make it back in time, and this way she won't have to do all the cookin' herself. What about you? Are you guys still leavin' after school?"

Isabel nodded, her gaze downcast as she picked at the binding of the textbook she was holding. "Yeah, Dad wants to be on the road by five at the latest."

Alex nodded and ducked his head to meet her gaze. "Hey, we're gonna make it out to meet with the code talker. We can go see him next weekend, okay?" He shoved the rest of his books inside since he had done his homework during study hall, and shut the door, spinning the dial on the combination lock to reset it.

"You won't go this weekend, will you?"

_Without me?_ She didn't say the words aloud, but he heard them all the same. "No, of course not. We're workin' on this thing together."

She nodded. "Okay, well, I guess I should go. Max is probably waiting for me in the parking lot."

"Yeah, I've gotta catch up with Liz; I told her I'd walk over to the Crashdown with her."

"I'm sure you're gonna find her with Max." She rolled her eyes. "Or more precisely, attached to Max."

Alex chuckled and fell into step beside her, knowing she was inviting him to walk with her. As predicted they found Liz and Max together and after a lengthy goodbye they went their separate ways.

"Think you're gonna survive four days without Max around?" Alex teased as he and Liz started walking.

She shoved his shoulder. "Me? Did I actually see you walk out of the school _with_ Isabel Evans?"

"Don't try to change the subject, Parker."

"What d'you think Maria's gonna do for Thanksgiving this year?" she asked after a few minutes of silence. The three of them had always spent at least part of the holiday hanging out together.

"Is she workin' this afternoon?"

"Yeah."

Alex shrugged. "We'll just ask her." He rolled his eyes when Liz turned her head to stare at him. "Look, we're never gonna get anywhere if we keep avoiding each other; Isabel's finally at a place where she's okay with Maria. She's not ready for her to know yet, but it's a step in the right direction." He draped his right arm around her shoulders. "I know you're a little hesitant because at the game – "

"She didn't wanna talk to us, Alex."

"It looked to me like the boyfriend jumped in before Maria had a chance to say much of anything."

"I warned you about him," Liz grumbled. "You saw how rude he was."

"I saw him protectin' the girl he cares about, Liz; she quite obviously told him about us and he saw us as a threat. He looked like he would've been more than happy to take a swing at Max but she stepped in when you asked her to."

"So, you didn't feel like he was dangerous?"

"Oh, I have no doubt the guy could be dangerous in the right situation, but where Maria's concerned?" He shook his head negatively. "I don't see it in that context at all, and I'll bet if you're completely honest with yourself that you don't either."

"So, we'll just go in and ask her about her plans."

She was nervous and Alex could hear it in her voice. "You go on in the back and get ready for your shift and I'll see if I can't get the conversation ball rollin', okay?"

"Thanks, Alex," she said, hugging him. "You're the best."

*****

Maria wiped the counter down – again – and glanced over the three customers scattered around the diner. The week before Thanksgiving was always slow which meant that time would drag by in a painfully slow manner. She glanced at the entrance when the bell jingled, announcing a new customer, and she felt herself tense up when she saw Liz and Alex walking in.

"Hey, Maria," Alex greeted as he dropped down on one of the stools at the counter. "So, that was some game on Friday night, huh?"

"It was a game," she answered noncommittally.

"I wasn't sure it was gonna end; the teams were battling it out pretty hard."

"I guess neither side wanted to lose."

"Yeah, I guess when it's somethin' important you fight to hold onto it."

Maria shook her head, easily reading between the lines and knowing that he wasn't talking about a basketball game. "And sometimes, no matter how important it is you have to let it go because the fight's just taking too much out of you." She turned away to fill a glass with soda for him. "It begins to seem unimportant when the other side's not putting up much of a fight."

Alex nodded in acceptance; he didn't have a defense for that one. "I know it probably seems like it, but the game's not over, Maria. You want an explanation, and God knows you deserve one – "

"Are you here to give me one?" she interrupted.

"No." He met her hurt gaze when she placed the glass on the counter in front of him. "I'm askin' you to not throw in the towel." He wrapped his hand around hers before she could move out of his reach. "I know I have no right to ask, Maria, but if there's even a single shred of trust or hope left in you where me an' Liz are concerned, fight to hold onto it."

Maria stared at him, wishing she didn't feel so confused. Part of her wanted to agree, no questions asked, but the bigger part was still hurting over the way they had treated her and that made her wary of them.

"Trust your instincts, Maria," Liz urged.

Maria turned to look at Liz. "Considering your doubt where my instincts are concerned that doesn't sound like very sound advice."

"What?"

"As I recall you were pretty certain that Michael's dangerous." She shrugged. "If I can't trust my instincts where he's concerned – "

"I think I may have jumped to conclusions." She shook her head. "I still think he's dangerous, but not to you." She bit her bottom lip uncertainly. "I shouldn't have made that assumption about him; he's obviously very important to you and it's pretty evident that you care about each other very much."

Maria's gaze bounced between them as she studied every nuance of their features. _What were they involved in?_ she wondered. _It wasn't drugs or alcohol, she was sure about that. Their eyes weren't glassy or unfocused, there was nothing wrong with their motor skills or coordination, and their speech wasn't slurred. So, what was it?_

They were making an attempt, trying to take the first step back towards the friendship they had turned their backs on and she didn't know how to respond to that.

Liz took a deep breath and forced herself to speak. It helped that Maria hadn't shut them down and refused to talk to them. "So, do you and your mom have plans for Thanksgiving?"

"We'll be spending it with Michael's family." _Well, they weren't spending the actual holiday with them, but she didn't want to have to deal with an awkward invitation to spend the holiday with Liz and Alex. Or, worse, no invitation at all._ "What about you guys?"

"Oh, well, Alex and his mom are coming over," Liz answered. _How serious was Maria's relationship with this guy if she and Amy were spending the holiday with his family?_

"Your dad's not gonna make it back for Thanksgiving?" Maria asked, knowing that it wasn't uncommon for Alex's father to miss the holidays.

"Not this year. I think Mom expected him to give it more priority since it's my last Thanksgiving before I leave for college."

Maria listened to them as they talked, but the recent hurt from their deteriorating relationship prevented her from really enjoying the conversation.

*****

Michael glanced down at the address in his hand before looking up to scan the main street that ran through downtown Roswell. His grandfather had been waiting for him when he had gotten home from school; he had motioned to the long wooden crate on the front porch and explained that he needed it delivered to Amy's shop that afternoon.

Maggie had decided to tag along which worked out perfectly as far as Michael was concerned because he could send her to deliver the crate while he stopped in to see Maria. He finally located the café where his girlfriend worked and he frowned at the spaceship suspended above the entrance.

"Looks like you've found home," Maggie said, snickering at his expression.

"Just go deliver that crate," he growled, leaving the engine running as he stepped out of the truck.

Maggie rolled her eyes at him and slid across the seat to settle behind the wheel. "I'll be back in half an hour."

Michael shut the door before she could say anything else and he smirked when she started fussing, the sound muffled by the glass separating them. He ducked his head against the cold wind and ran across the street. _Why did his girlfriend have to work at what had to be the tackiest restaurant in the small town?_ he wondered as he took a deep breath and pulled the door open.

The first thing he saw was Liz and Alex leaning on the counter and it only took a moment to identify Maria on the opposite side of the conversation. She didn't look upset, but she did look like she needed a few minutes away from them.

"Hey, what's a guy gotta do to get some service around here?"

Maria stood up straighter and looked over Alex's shoulder in shock. "Michael? What're you doing here?" she asked, rushing around the counter and throwing herself into his arms.

"Had to drop somethin' off at your mom's shop for River Dog; I sent my sister to do that." He looked down at her when she leaned back in his arms. "Can you get outta here for a few minutes? I got half an hour before Maggie'll be back to get me."

She turned her head to glance at Liz, nodding when the other girl motioned for her to go do whatever she needed to do. "Let me just grab my jacket, okay?"

He nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets as he glanced around the interior of the alien-themed café, making it a point to ignore Liz and Alex. He could feel their gazes on him but he wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of speaking to them in any kind of a civil manner.


	75. Chapter 74

**Part 74**

Maria rushed back out into the lobby, taking Michael's hand as he held the door open and they stepped outside into the brisk autumn air.

"So, you guys are talkin'?" he asked after a couple of minutes.

"Yeah, I think they're really trying to find a way to fix things… or patch them up, at least. We were talking about Thanksgiving and what we're all doing for the holiday. It was actually a very calm conversation and none of us yelled or made any accusations, but I still think there's something weird going on." She huffed impatiently. "I just can't for the life of me figure out what it is; I've tried to come up with another theory and I don't have one right now." Michael stopped suddenly and she turned to look at him. "What?"

"So, what you're sayin' is that you've been bested; that you don't have a single, solitary idea to toss out there? Well, stop the presses and alert the media! Maria DeLuca doesn't have a clue, ladies and gentlemen!" His tone was light as he attempted to tease a smile out of her.

Maria rolled her eyes at him, hiding a smile as she decided a little payback was in order. "Well, I've gotta admit, I've been a little distracted lately. See, there's this really hot guy I met recently…"

Michael couldn't help standing a little straighter at her description of him. _Hot, huh? Hell, yeah!_

"Um-hmm, my new neighbor, Sam Denton… he moved in a few weeks ago and he does his morning exercise routine wearing nothing but this skimpy little pair of shorts," she said, waving one hand in front of her face as if she were hot. "Mmmm, but it's such a great way for me to start to my day."

Michael nearly choked as he listened to her describing some other guy and he could feel his jealous side kicking into overdrive. "Is that true? Or, are you just teasin' me? Because I don't like the thought of you droolin' over some other guy every mornin'; it's insulting and it's… it's emotional cheatin'."

"Emotional cheating?" Maria parroted as she burst out laughing. "You've been spending way too much time with Maggie and her friends if you're starting to use phrases like 'emotional cheating'."

He scowled at her, but started walking when she tugged on his arm and pulled him along with her. "You're kiddin', right?"

"Yes, Michael, I'm kidding," she assured him. "There's no new neighbor, hot or not."

"That's good. I'd hate to have to pay a visit to your 'hot neighbor' and destroy him with my alien powers."

Maria laughed and leaned closer to him when the wind picked up. "You're so bad." They turned and started walking back towards the café, knowing their time together was almost up. "Hey, did you know that your mom called my mom and invited us out for dinner on Saturday?"

Michael's eyebrows shot up. "No, she hasn't mentioned it. What's your mom think about that?"

"My mom loves it; she can't wait."

He nodded and glanced up at the offensive spaceship over the café where she worked as they neared their destination. "And you?"

"I'm perfectly happy for any excuse to spend time with you," she answered with a smile.

"Even if it means puttin' up with my crazy family?"

"I love your family, Michael; they're an extended part of you." She jumped when a horn honked and she looked up in time to see Maggie waving madly from the front seat of the truck parked in front of them. "Okay, there are moments here and there when I could happily choke them, but I love them anyway."

"Kiss her already so we can go!" Maggie yelled through the open window and then quickly rolled it back up again.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He glared at his sister, but Maria's hand on his cheek brought his attention back to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, his eyes locked on hers as he lowered his head and covered her mouth with his.

Maria easily lost herself in the kiss and she slid her hands under his open jacket so she could wrap her arms around him and soak up his warmth. She was tugging on the hem of his shirt when the horn blared behind them again, causing them to jump apart.

"My sister may not make it to dinner on Saturday," he grumbled.

Maria laughed and slowly stepped back, releasing him. "I'll see you in a couple of days."

He grumbled something under his breath as he stalked over to the truck and pulled on the drivers' side door, frowning when it didn't budge. "Open this door," he growled, motioning to the lock that was pushed down in the corner of the door frame.

"Nope, I think I'll drive back, Grumpy."

"You're gonna see grumpy if you don't unlock this door, Magdalene Rose." He grinned when she winced and glanced around, hoping that no one had overheard him. She hurried to pull the lock up and then slid across the seat so he could climb in behind the wheel.

"That was not fair," she said, glaring at him.

"I'm in the driver's seat…" He looked at her as he threw the truck into reverse and pulled out of the parking space. "I'd say it's perfectly fair."

He ignored her ranting from the passenger's seat as he drove down Main Street, heading for the highway that would take them back to the Reservation. He was surprised that his mother had invited Maria and her mother out for dinner on Saturday, but he hoped it was a good sign.

*****

On Thanksgiving Day Diane Evans watched her children as they interacted with their family; Isabel was helping one of her aunts in the kitchen and Max was in the den with two of his cousins, debating plays made by the opposing teams playing football on the television. She sighed as she looked at her husband where he was sitting beside her, talking to her parents and her brother-in-law.

Philip was so certain that letting Isabel go off with her friend Alex was the right thing to do and she trusted his judgment, but she was scared of losing her children. She was surprised that Isabel was the one that was so interested in locating her birth parents; she had always expected Max would be the one who would need those answers.

"Diane?"

She looked up when Philip called her name and she realized that the others had gotten up and either gone to watch the game or moved into the kitchen to help with the last of the meal preparation. "Are you sure about this, Philip?"

"I think it's the right thing to do, honey. I don't believe there's anything for her to find in Arizona, other than talking to that code talker for their assignment, but if she wants to pursue it, then I really do think we need to let her go." He smiled reassuringly. "Besides, haven't you noticed the way she's been opening up since this Alex fellow entered the picture?"

"Well, yes."

"This weekend is the perfect time for her to get away and do this, and I could use a little more time to work on the Andrews' case."

"And you'll call to let me know what's going on?"

"Of course."

"Alright. I still have my reservations about this, but since you're so sure we need to let her do this thing…" She sighed and nodded. "I'll defer to your judgment this time."

Isabel glanced up when her parents called her and motioned for her to join them. She smiled and shook her head at something her grandmother said before excusing herself and walking into the living room. "What's up?" she asked as she sat down across from them.

Diane glanced at her husband before she began to speak. "Your dad is going to go back to Roswell tomorrow afternoon and we were wondering if you might want to go with him?"

"We thought maybe if your friend didn't have any plans you might be able to work on your project," Philip said. "Saturday is supposed to be very nice as far as the weather is concerned, so it would be a perfect day for a road trip."

"Oh, but…" Isabel looked around at her family. "No, Daddy, you don't have to do that."

"I have a case that could use some extra work, so it won't hurt for me to have the house all to myself for a while."

She looked at her mother; she wasn't surprised that her father had told her what was going on because they didn't keep things from each other. "Really? You're okay with it, Mom?"

"I'm handling it, honey, but I understand that you need answers. So, if this is what you need to do then you have my support." She could see the relief on her daughter's face. "Max and I will stay here and drive back on Sunday as planned." She leaned forward to take her daughter's hand. "Just know that no matter what you find, your father and I love you."

Isabel threw herself into her mother's arms, so relieved that she hadn't denied her the opportunity to pursue the lead. She was glad now that she had talked to her father, and that she had confided in him about the trip to visit the code talker and told him that there was a tiny possibility that they might have found something related to her biological parents.

"I love you guys, too," she whispered.

"What's goin' on?" Max asked.

"Your father and sister are going back home tomorrow," Diane answered as she released her daughter. "He needs a little extra time to work on a case and Isabel will make sure he remembers to eat."

"Oh, okay." Max shrugged. "But, we're stayin'?"

"Um-hmm, as planned. You are still planning to play in the neighborhood football game with your cousins on Saturday, aren't you?"

"Yeah, of course!" Max nudged his sister with his elbow as he passed her. "Plannin' to spend the day with Alex?" he teased.

She shoved him away. "Shut up, Max."

He grinned when he noticed the slight blush on her cheeks. _Oh, yeah, she was spending the day with Alex._


	76. Chapter 75

**Part 75**

Alex excused himself to refill his glass when his cell phone vibrated, letting him know he had received a message. In the kitchen he leaned back against the counter and flipped his phone open. He smiled when he saw that it was from Isabel and he quickly opened the text message so he could read it.

"Must be from Isabel," his mother said as she joined him.

"Yeah. You remember that project I told you about?"

"The top-secret project for your history class? Yes, I remember."

"She's askin' if I'll be able to work on it on Saturday."

"Meaning the two of you driving to Arizona to talk to that code talker?" Elaine asked.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, she's talked to her parents about it and they said she could go." He raised his head to meet his mother's gaze.

"Well, it wouldn't do any good for her to go out there all alone, would it?" She smiled and patted his cheek. "I'll go with you to her house on Saturday morning to meet her parents before you go."

"Mom," he complained, "you don't have to do that."

"No, but it's only proper." She motioned to his phone. "Now go on and tell her you can go."

Alex nodded and used his thumb to punch in a reply. As soon as he was finished he sent the message and slid the phone back in his pocket. He quickly filled his glass and hurried back out to join the others for dinner.

*****

Catherine studied the list in her hand for several moments before she looked around, surveying the food in different stages of preparation. She had been up well before dawn in order to get a head start on everything and she was running right on schedule. Even after fixing a large breakfast so John and the kids could get the chores handled by mid-morning and then be back in time to clean up and get the backyard set up.

They had been blessed with a beautiful day and weather that was warmer than normal for that time of the year, but it was going to be perfect for an outdoor family gathering. Thanksgiving wasn't a holiday that was celebrated on the Reservation but they did use the Saturday following the holiday as a time to celebrate being together.

_This year's gathering would certainly be different,_ she thought as she checked the food in the oven and then adjusted the temperature. It was the first time that outsiders had been invited to join them and she found herself wondering yet again what type of woman Amy DeLuca was. She had only really met her the one time and she had seemed like a perfectly nice woman, but they hadn't spent any significant time together.

"Stop thinkin' so much, woman," John gently scolded when he entered the kitchen and saw the look on his wife's face. "You're worryin' for no reason; Maria's a good girl and I'm sure her mother is responsible for that."

"What if we have nothing in common?"

"Your son and her daughter are in love; that's a pretty big patch of common ground, don't you think?"

"You're over-simplifying."

"And you're makin' things too complicated. Three hours from now we're gonna have a houseful of hungry people – "

"They'll be here in two hours," she interrupted.

"No, we told everyone to start showin' up around noon and dinner would be served around two."

"I told Maria's mother to be here around eleven."

John smirked at his wife's sudden attack of nerves. "Well, that'll be nice then; you'll get to know each other a little better before the rest of the family gets here."

"We're done with the chores," Michael announced as he came in and started lifting the lids on every dish on the counter. "Oh, hey, that looks good, what is it?" He was reaching in to sneak a piece of whatever it was when the dish was pulled out of his reach.

"Michael Guerin!" Catherine chastised as she covered the dish up again. "Did you wash your hands?"

"What? Of course I washed my hands, Mom!"

"Then fix yourself a sandwich and then you and Maggie can drive over to your uncle Kade's house to pick up the folding tables and chairs."

"Fix myself a sandwich?" he repeated comically. _Mom always made him something to eat if she was home._ "Well, okay, I guess…" He looked around, biting his bottom lip. "Where's the bread?"

Maggie rolled her eyes at her brother's pathetic act of helplessness to gain sympathy from their mother. "Oh, suck it up, Michael, the bread's in the same place it always is."

Michael glared at his sister as he retrieved a loaf of bread and pulled a couple of slices out, placing them on a plate and then digging around in the refrigerator for his preferred type of lunchmeat. He pulled a piece of the sandwich meat out and placed it on one of the slices of bread before slapping the other slice on top.

"Oh, my lord!" Catherine exclaimed, appalled. "Tell me this isn't what you're eating when I'm not at home."

"What?"

Maggie just shook her head. "He's just doin' that so you'll make the sandwich for him."

"Well, soon enough the two of you will be on your way to college and I won't be able to do this for you anymore. Maggie, honey, would you like a sandwich, too?"

_Oh, well, it was a different story if she was getting something out of it!_ "Sure, Mom."

"Alright, you two go straighten up the living room while I fix you something to eat and then you can go get those tables." She sighed as she disassembled the poorly constructed sandwich and started pulling things out of the refrigerator. _What were they going to do without her?_

John chuckled and shook his head. "I'm gonna go check the backyard, make sure it's presentable."

"Are you hungry?" Catherine asked just as he reached the doorway.

"No, but I'd love a cup of coffee."

"I'll make a fresh pot as soon as I'm finished with this." She waved him off. "Go on then, I have a million things to do." She heard his laughter as he headed back outside and she huffed in annoyance. _Men! He had no idea how important this meeting was; what if she and Maria's mother really didn't have anything in common?_ No matter how much she wanted to deny it, all of the signs were indicating that Maria was in Michael's life to stay.

*****

Philip followed his daughter down the driveway when she saw a familiar car turn onto their street, hiding a smile when she suddenly realized how eager she appeared and she quickly turned to lean against his car to study her nails. He had never seen her so excited about anything – or anyone – and he stood beside her while they waited for Alex to pull into the driveway. He was surprised to see a woman who was obviously the boy's mother step out of the passengers' side of the car.

He was also surprised to see that Alex was completely different from any other guy Isabel had ever gone out with. The only thing the boy had in common with the others was the fact that he was tall; the rest of his appearance was unlike any other boy she had been out with. He was a good-looking kid, but definitely not an athlete and probably not anywhere near his daughter's revered popular and social ranking at school. The kid wasn't smooth or polished, either, he realized as the boy's mother stepped forward to introduce herself.

"I'm Elaine Whitman," she said with a smile.

"Philip Evans," he responded, shaking her proffered hand.

"It's so nice to finally meet you; these two have been thick as thieves for a while now and when Alex told me that he and Isabel were planning to visit this code talker I knew it was time for that to happen."

"Can I offer you a cup of coffee?"

"Daddy, we kinda wanted to get an early start," Isabel reminded without any subtlety at all.

"I know, honey, why else would you be up at seven on a Saturday morning? Normally you sleep like a sloth on the weekends," he teased.

"Daddy!"

"It must be a teenage thing," Elaine said. "Alex would sleep half the day away if we didn't bully him out of bed on the weekends."

"Mom!"

"Oh, sweetie, that's really not the most embarrassing thing I could've said."

Alex looked mortified at his mother's teasing and he was so busy staring at her that he never saw Isabel's father move until he was standing right in front of him.

"I trust you'll behave yourself with my daughter?"

_The man was much larger up close,_ Alex thought. "Yes, of course, sir."

Philip nodded, giving the boy the once-over before he shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Alex." He winked as he lowered his voice, "My daughter's had nothing but good things to say about you and you don't know how rare that is."

"Daddy, I know what you're doing and you can just stop threatening Alex right now. We're just going to do more research for our project."

"Um-hmm." He released the teenager's hand and turned to his daughter, holding out a set of keys that she accepted with a look of surprise. "You two can take my car; I know for a fact that it will make the trip with no problem. Iz, you've got the gas card and you've got my credit card if you need it for any reason." He pulled her into a hug. "You two be careful, okay?"

"Thanks, Daddy." She leaned up to kiss his cheek before turning and handing the keys to Alex. "We get to take my dad's car."

Philip nodded when Alex's gaze shot to him. "Be careful, Alex, and I'll expect my daughter back here this evening in the same condition she's leaving. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes, sir." Before Alex could make his escape his mother pulled him into a hug and she gave him her own list of warnings before releasing him.

Elaine and Philip held their laughter in as Alex hurried around the car to hold Isabel's door open for her. The teenagers pointedly avoided eye contact with each other as they settled into the comfortable interior and prepared to pull out of the driveway.

*****

John opened the front door early on Saturday and he smiled when he saw Maria and her mother standing on the porch. "Well, good morning, ladies," he greeted, pushing the screen door open and holding it for them as they stepped inside.

"Hi, John," Maria said with a smile. "You remember my mom, Amy DeLuca?" 

"Of course." He reached out to shake the woman's hand. "Welcome to our home, Amy."

"Hey, is Michael around?"

"He and Maggie are setting the tables up out back. Why don't you go give 'em a hand." He chuckled when Maria hurried through the house without any further encouragement. "Young love," he said, smiling fondly after the girl that his son had fallen for.


	77. Chapter 76

**Part 76**

Amy made a sound of agreement as she followed her host into the living room and her gaze was immediately captured by the photographs on the wall above the fireplace. Her mind was pulled back to her conversation with Maria about certain photographs and she was turning to ask John about them when Catherine entered the room.

"I thought I heard Maria a moment ago," the woman said, smiling as she joined Amy at the fireplace.

"She's hard to miss," Amy said, smiling in agreement. "Thank you for the invitation, Catherine; it seems like my daughter has gotten to know your family so well and we have yet to move beyond the acquaintance stage."

"Well, invitations certainly do extend in both directions," Catherine said.

John cleared his throat to get their attention and he motioned to the pictures. "Michael took some pictures recently of Maria while they were out in the desert… perhaps you would like to see them?"

"Oh, I would love to!" Amy enthused. "I have to admit, I had my reservations when Maria said that he wanted to photograph her, but she assured me that if I had any doubts I could contact you because your son would never suggest anything inappropriate."

Catherine visibly puffed up at the compliment about her son and she smiled. "No, Michael was raised better than that," she said. "Let me go get those photographs so you can see them."

John smirked when his wife left the room. "Smooth move," he chuckled.

Amy raised one eyebrow as she turned to look at him. She wasn't interested in fighting with Michael's mother and she would do her best to keep things civil, but she wouldn't ignore it if the woman continued to try to provoke her. She had bit her tongue on that first comment, she had let it pass and allowed the woman's husband to divert the conversation, but she wasn't the type of woman who allowed anyone to walk over her.

"I'll just get you ladies somethin' to drink," he offered and made himself scarce.

"Here they are," Catherine said as she came back carrying a photo album. She sat down on the couch and opened it up as Amy joined her and she glanced up when she heard the woman's indrawn breath. She turned to look at the photograph that had caught her attention and she smiled proudly when she recognized one of the shots from Kai's recent ceremony.

"Michael took this?"

"Oh, he took all of these!"

They were still going through the album when Maggie stepped into the room to ask her father a question. "Oh, uh-uh, you are not showin' off his pictures," she said, shaking her head.

"His photos are beautiful," Amy said, looking at one of Santana watching over his herd at sunset. "There's so much life in them."

Maggie nodded. "Oh, I agree with you." But, _that_ album was the one he kept in his bedroom, the one that he shared with very few people.

"Hey, Mom, we're done with the…" Michael trailed off when he saw what their mothers were looking at. His gaze followed Amy's fingers as they reached for the edge of the page to flip it over. The pictures of Maria were on the next few pages, the set inside the album carefully altered so there would be no suspicion if anyone outside of his family ever saw them.

Amy's fingertips brushed over the protective plastic casing that covered the glossy color photographs of her daughter. The poses were tasteful, each one different, and yet they all had one thing in common; the emotions that leapt up off of the page were undeniable. The feelings of the photographer for his subject, the feelings of the subject for the photographer… even someone who had never met the two of them would be able to decipher the depth of their emotions for each other.

"Michael, these are…" She shook her head, at a loss for words. "They're incredible."

"Yeah, well, Maria's very photogenic."

"Okay, we're all agreed that the pictures are good," Maria said, deftly removing the album from her mother's hands. "He's talented, I'm photogenic, and there's no reason to dwell on either subject." She held the album against her chest, arms crossed over it protectively. Michael didn't seem to be upset that they were looking through his pictures, but he wasn't completely comfortable with it either.

"Amy was interested in the pictures you took of Maria last weekend."

He nodded. "They came out really well." He reached up to scratch his eyebrow. "So, we're done with the tables, Mom; Uncle Kade was gonna send Shadow by with the chairs in a while."

"Alright, sweetie," she said with a smile.

"I'll just put that away," he said, motioning for the album Maria was holding.

"He's very talented with a camera," Amy commented when he left the room. She turned her head when Maggie moved to take a seat in a chair by the window and her gaze fell on the decorations placed tastefully around the room. "I just love your art."

"Oh, thank you," Catherine said, smiling as she looked at some of the pieces. "Most of it is made by local artists. We have a very talented artist right here on the Rez named Gabriel Red Eagle; he made quite a few of these pieces."

Maria's gaze shot to her mother when the woman choked on her drink. "Mom, are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

Amy smiled, her gaze watery as she dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "Fine, honey, just went down wrong." She looked back at Catherine. "Gabriel, you say?"

"Oh, hey, I met a guy named Gabriel when I was looking for River Dog a while back; late 20's, tall, long hair…" She felt Michael enter the room behind her and she smirked. "Handsome, too." She could feel his scowl burning into the back of her head; he hated it when she said anything about another guy being attractive.

Catherine nodded. "Oh, yes, that's him."

"He was pretty cool… very helpful." Michael was practically vibrating with jealousy, she could feel it.

Amy was shocked that her daughter had met Gabriel on the Reservation although she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. Maria seemed to be suitably impressed with him even though she didn't know who he was beyond an artist who lived on the Rez.

"You done pushin' my buttons?" Michael growled, his voice too low for the others to hear.

Maria tossed a teasing grin over her shoulder and winked at him as she shook her head. "No," she whispered back.

"Oh, let me show you the picture in the dining room," Catherine said as she stood up and motioned for Amy to follow her.

"We're gonna go to my room, Dad." Michael tugged on Maria's hand and she followed him willingly.

"Michael?" John nodded when his son paused in the doorway before turning to look at him. "Leave the door open."

Maria laughed when Michael grumbled all the way down the hall to his bedroom. As they passed the dining room she could hear Catherine gushing about his talent as a photographer.

"I can't believe my mom just came in here and got my photos and started showin' 'em off," he muttered as he stomped around his room.

"She's just proud of your work, Michael." She leaned against the doorframe so she could listen to the conversation between their mothers and her eyebrows lifted in interest when Catherine started talking about how she had raised her son to be a gentleman. Maria couldn't contain her snort of irony at the woman's absolute blindness to his flaws. Sure, Michael could behave like that when it suited him, but he had a tendency to forget all about it when they were together. _Not that she was complaining! Oh, no, not at all!_

Michael stopped in the center of the room when he realized that Maria wasn't listening to a word he was saying. The inelegant snort sealed it in his mind and he crossed his arms over his chest as he demanded to know what she was doing.

"Just listening to your mother's delusional beliefs about you; the woman is obviously incorrect because she's so blind to your flaws."

_Now he was flawed?_ He was insulted by her flippant remark. "Yeah, well, you're not exactly perfect either."

Maria just rolled her eyes at him. "Um-hmm, and would you be attracted to me if I were?"

"No." _Oh, right, he got it now._ No, he wasn't perfect either, but perfection was highly overrated anyway, in his opinion. "Well, as far as Mom's concerned I can do no wrong." He grinned smugly. "That happens to come in very handy sometimes; it's a very good advantage to have."

Maria smirked and shook her head. "Yep, a real gentleman."

"Well, I was about to defy the rules and close that door so I could kiss you like I've been wantin' to for the past couple of days, but… maybe you'd rather I behave like a real gentleman." He waited for her reaction.

The door closed and Maria leaned back against it. "I never said _I_ wanted you to be some proper gentleman… I just want you."

Michael braced his hands on the door on either side of her head as his gaze locked on hers and he shook his head. "One of these days we're not gonna have to worry about stealing a few minutes here and there," he said gruffly as he lowered his head to kiss her.

Maria's hands latched onto his shoulders as she pulled him closer, angling her head when he moved to deepen the kiss.

They barely moved when someone knocked on the door, but when John cleared his throat behind them they jumped apart. He stood in the bathroom doorway, subduing the grin that wanted to surface as he motioned to the door they were leaning against. "Either that door stays open or the two of you can join us in the living room." He shook his head when they moved to comply with his parental order. _The one thing he did not need was two angry mothers coming after him for letting the teenagers spend time together in Michael's bedroom!_


	78. Chapter 77

**Part 77**

Alex glanced at his silent companion, quickly taking in the nervous tics that had started to increase the closer they got to their destination. Isabel's fingers were plucking at the thick seam that ran around the edge of the leather seat she was sitting in, her right leg was constantly in motion, and she shifted every few minutes as if she couldn't find a comfortable position.

Her anxiety wasn't unexpected; depending on what they learned from the letter, the trip could potentially be a life-changing experience. _Maybe he should say something,_ he thought. _Try to get her mind off of that possibility._ "So, how was your Thanksgiving?" he asked.

"It was very nice," she said with a smile. "I love spending time with them, but I was actually kinda glad to get a reprieve from today with the family."

Alex lifted his right eyebrow. "What's goin' on today?"

"All of my cousins are guys, so the Saturday after Thanksgiving they all get together with Max and they have this football game they play against a bunch of guys in my grandparents' neighborhood. It's really not that fun."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be fun for me either," he agreed. "I'd probably run if they threw the ball at me… pure reaction after so many years of dodge ball."

Isabel laughed and nodded. "I can see your dilemma." She shifted in her seat so she could see him better. "So, what about you; was your Thanksgiving nice?"

"Yeah, it was pretty good. I ate until I was miserable and then me an' Liz spent the rest of the day watchin' movies."

They fell into an easy conversation and Isabel started to relax as she focused on the subject instead of the passing miles.

*****

Maggie rapped her knuckles against her brother's door, leaning inside to motion for him and Maria to get up and follow her. "Hey, everyone's startin' to arrive; Mom said it was past time for the two of you to be social and come out here with the rest of the family."

Michael rolled his eyes but he got up when Maria tugged on his hand.

"C'mon, if we don't go out there, they're gonna come in here."

"Where's Grumpy?" Shadow's voice carried down the hall and a moment later they could hear his footsteps getting closer.

"Let's go," Michael insisted. "Hurry up, both of you, before I end up with everyone in here… touchin' my stuff, movin' things around…" He shuddered at that thought and rushed the girls out of his room.

"Grumpy, there you are; we were all startin' to wonder where you were hidin'," Jacey said as they stepped out into the backyard. She grinned unrepentantly as she managed to draw everyone's attention to her cousin and his girlfriend.

"Well, I was tryin' to avoid you," he grumbled. "Guess it didn't work." He looked down when someone collided with his legs and he grinned when two of his youngest cousins clamored for his attention.

Maria's attention was pulled to the group her mother was sitting with – John, Skye, Randolph, his wife Elizabeth, and Misty – and she edged closer to them to see what they were talking about. It didn't take long to realize that they were discussing Thanksgiving, not as a holiday, but as a day of mourning.

Elizabeth was obviously new to the subject despite being married to Randolph and she was listening closely to everything that was being said. "So, what you're saying is that what we celebrate as Thanksgiving is all based on a lie?"

John nodded. "Growin' up you learn all about the great friendship between the Pilgrims and the Indians, right? What if I told you that the first official celebration of Thanksgiving was in honor of a massacre that took place in Connecticut; that it celebrated the mass murder of seven to eight hundred Pequot Indians?"

"I've never heard of that," she admitted.

"But, you wouldn't, would you?" John asked. "It doesn't make for good PR."

"So, today is actually a…" She looked at her husband. "A day of mourning, isn't that what you called it?"

Randolph shook his head to correct his wife. "No, that occurs on Thanksgiving Day itself; hundreds of Native Americans and supporters from all over the country travel to Plymouth to observe The National Day of Mourning, to tell the truth about history, and to discuss different issues that are ongoing for many of us."

"Have you been to Plymouth?" Amy asked.

"We went when Maggie was… I think Maggie was nine and Michael had just turned ten," John answered. He looked up at his wife when she joined them on the back porch after she finished directing everyone out of the house with the food. "Is that right, Cath?"

"What?"

"The year we went to Plymouth… Maggie was nine and Michael was ten, right?"

"Yes, he had just turned ten." She sat down to take a break for a few minutes before they all settled down for the afternoon meal. "I really wish we could make it every year, but, unfortunately, real life has a way of making that very difficult."

"So true," Amy murmured.

Catherine looked at the woman in surprise. "You've been to Plymouth?"

Amy smiled. Catherine was obviously shocked that she had been there. "Years ago; it was a very powerful experience."

"So, you don't celebrate Thanksgiving?" Elizabeth asked.

Amy shook her head. "No, we don't."

She didn't elaborate much to Catherine's surprise. She watched her for a little while, wondering if something had happened to cause her to not celebrate Thanksgiving or if she ignored the holiday as some form of protest.

John sat back as his wife took the conversation from there and she and Amy dominated the topic until it was time to eat.

*****

Alex pulled up to one of the pumps in front of the gas station and glanced up when Isabel eased out of the vehicle before he had even managed to unfasten his seatbelt. They were very close to their destination and she had fallen silent about twenty miles back, going right back to the nervous shifting that she had been doing earlier.

He watched her as she paced nearby, the picture of fear, frustration, and confusion all combined into one beautiful package. When he was finished he hung the nozzle back up and reached for the receipt… that wasn't there. He rolled his eyes and turned to go inside the station to get a copy of the receipt, pausing halfway across the parking lot to turn and look at Isabel.

"Hey, Iz, you want a drink or – "

"Would you hurry up?" Isabel snapped. "It's getting late and we're wasting time."

Alex just nodded and continued on his way, leaving Isabel to pace beside the car. He was starting to be able to decipher her moods and this was her I'm-nervous-and-scared-so-back-off mood. There was another customer at the register so he went over to the cold case to grab a couple of drinks, browsed for a small bottle of hot sauce, and then grabbed a bag of chips before making his way back to the cashier who was no longer occupied.

Isabel tilted her head imperiously, acting as if she had no idea Alex was anywhere in the vicinity; truthfully she had heard his wallet chain the moment he had stepped out of the station.

"You ready to go?"

"Oh, are you finally finished browsing the aisles of this extra-special roadside dive?"

Alex ignored her venomous tone as he pulled his soda out of the bag and unscrewed the cap so he could take a drink. "C'mon, I got you a drink; maybe hydration will make you feel a little better."

Isabel huffed in irritation as she slid back inside and opened the sack he had carried out to the car, pulling the other bottled drink out along with the bag of… Her lips curled up in disgust and she reached up to pull her sunglasses down just enough to make sure he knew she was glaring at him. "Pork rinds?"

Alex bit back a grin at her offended tone. "You don't like pork rinds?" he asked, feigning surprise.

"It's fried pig skin… it's completely disgusting, Alex."

"Huh." He pulled the bag out stared at it before leaning over to wave it in front of her. "You sure? I got the hot and spicy ones." He chuckled when she backed away with a sick look on her face. He pulled a small bottle out of the sack and dropped the pork rinds back inside before sitting it on the floor in the back seat. "Hot sauce and soda's an odd combination of purchases; I grabbed the pork rinds for cover."

Isabel took the hot sauce from him as she pushed her sunglasses back up. "I knew that."

"Of course you did," Alex said, his teasing tone clearly stating that he knew she was lying. He waited until she had mixed the hot sauce in her drink before he pulled back out on the road so they could finish the last leg of their trip.

*****

John glanced at his wife as she sat talking amicably with a group of women on the porch and he breathed a sigh of relief when things seemed to be staying calm. He went back to his conversation with several of the men where they sat around one of the tables since they had been relegated to the yard when the women had descended on the porch. Dinner had been a peaceful affair with lots of talking, laughter, and good food.

Catherine raised an eyebrow when the subject of child rearing came up, interested to see what Maria's mother would have to say. She waited impatiently as her sister-in-law spoke up in response to the question that had been posed.

"Kade and I have five children, so discipline is a big part of daily life, but we don't believe in being heavy-handed with them either."

"Balance is the key," Misty added. "I have three kids and it's all about the balancing act; Matthew and I have found that the punishment and reward system works best with ours."

Catherine felt that this conversation was a good way to gather some information about Maria, and of course, her mother as well. She really wanted to know more about the type of environment Maria had been raised in. She had an idea about said environment and it worried her. "How do you feel about it, Amy?" she asked, keeping her tone even. "Do you think that traditional methods of discipline work better or do you subscribe to a different theory?"

Storm was watching the two women as they debated the different methods of discipline and child rearing. "You don't strike me as a traditionalist, Amy; not very conservative."

"No," Amy agreed, laughing, "I'm not conservative or traditional in many ways. I raised Maria differently than many people agreed with or approved of, but I don't believe that stifling children is any way to raise children. I think independence is an important thing for children to have; they need to be able to pull from an inner core of strength and to be able to survive if it should ever come to them losing the guiding force in their life."

"Too much freedom isn't good either," Catherine interjected.

Amy frowned, hearing Catherine's objection and the way she said it didn't really sit well with her. "I suppose that depends on your point of view. I do believe that freedom should be allowed and that being too restrictive can be detrimental to the ability to trust your child and for your child to be able to trust you."

Catherine cringed internally at Amy's theories on child rearing. _It was amazing that Maria had turned out as well as she had,_ she thought. _With that kind of upbringing it was a shock that the girl seemed to be fairly well-balanced._ "Are you suggesting that I'm too restrictive?"

Amy shook her head. She might think it, but she knew she couldn't say it out loud; Maria would have her head on a platter if she started that particular discussion with Catherine. She was beginning to understand what Maria had meant when she had been ranting about Michael's mother and how she felt that she, Maria, wasn't good enough for the woman's 'little boy'. "No, of course not; I just chose a different path in regards to raising and disciplining my daughter."

Catherine couldn't help but persist when Amy didn't elaborate further. She really didn't understand how a woman, a loving mother, would let her own child fend for herself under the pretense of teaching her a life lesson! "Um-hmm, so you believe that practically letting your daughter raise herself was an appropriate way to bring her up?"

Amy bristled at Catherine's words. _Oh, the woman was good, she'd give her that; _she could cover what she really meant, but Amy wasn't deaf or blind. She could see that Catherine was gathering ammunition against Maria by contesting her mother's choice to raise her with a liberal upbringing. "My methods of parenting may be lacking in some areas and I'm sure that my lifestyle hasn't always been fair to my daughter, but she's not your normal, average teenager," she answered, her tone clipped. "When the other kids were taking vacations Maria was participating in sit-ins with me and when other little girls were playing with Barbie dolls, Maria was at camp learning to sing and play the guitar. We've had our struggles to find a way to balance our lives out in a way that suits both of us, but in the end, it works for us and that's really all that matters."

Sensing the tension rising between Catherine and Amy, Skye stood up under the guise of stretching – a move that went unnoticed by either of the women – she waved at her husband.

"I think someone's trying to get your attention," Kaden said when his wife caught his attention.

John looked up when his brother-in-law nudged him and he turned to follow the direction of the man's gaze. Skye was making subtle motions towards Catherine and Amy and he could tell by his wife's posture that the conversation was beginning to get heated. He shook his head and grinned at the other men. "Never a dull moment when you get a bunch of women together, is there?"

He got to his feet and crossed the yard to step up on the porch where the women were sitting. "Hey, Cath, is it time for dessert yet? Justin was just sayin' that Sage brought a store-bought pie – "

"A store-bought pie?" she echoed in disbelief as she turned to look at her youngest sister-in-law.

Sage shrugged and turned to glare at her husband. "What can I say? Two sets of twins, Catherine; I needed sleep more than I needed to make a homemade pie." She looked up at her brother and smiled. "You can tell Justin that he's in trouble when you go slinking off to join your little man-group."

John just grinned and held his hand out to his wife. "C'mon, honey, I'll give you a hand with dessert." He could see that she was ready to stay and further defend her own choices, but after several moments she capitulated and accepted his hand.


	79. Chapter 78

**Part 78**

"They're going to kill each other," Maria muttered, shaking her head. She and Michael had caught the entire exchange since the group they had been talking with wasn't that far away from their mothers.

"Dad'll calm her down," Michael said, hoping he was right. His mother was on the warpath; she was just looking for reasons to find fault with his girlfriend's mother.

"Well, at least he got your mom to go inside before it turned physical." She snorted at that image and glanced up at Michael when he remained quiet. "What?"

"Nothin'." He shook his head. "Well, I was just tryin' to picture that and it's not a pretty picture." He motioned to the back door where his father had stepped back out on the porch, holding the door open for his mother before they both walked down to the tables carrying several different cakes and pies. "Time for dessert."

Maria rolled her eyes when he grabbed her hand and nearly dragged her across the yard so they could be the first ones to sample the desserts being offered.

*****

John made it a point to sit down between his wife and Amy after confiscating a rather sizable slice of a cake one of his sister's had made. "You must have a million stories about Maria," he said with a smile.

Amy chuckled when she glanced up and caught her daughter's look of warning. "Oh, there are so many," she agreed, turning back to her host.

"You know, Michael and dessert go way back," he said, pretending to be unaware of his son motioning for him to keep quiet about anything embarrassing. "When he was much younger, in elementary school, he had this little admirer for the longest time. My boy was clueless about her crush on him, but…" He turned to look at his wife. "Cath, what was that little girl's name?"

"What little girl?" Catherine asked, turning from her conversation with Kaden.

"You know, that little girl that followed Michael everywhere when he was little."

"Oh, Amanda… what was her last name? Do you believe that I don't remember? She had the biggest crush on Michael, and for the longest time, too."

"Yeah, that's what I was just tellin' Amy." He turned back to the woman in question and went on with his story. "Amanda, that was her name; she would come to school every day with some new offering and as long as it was edible, Michael was quite content to remain oblivious about her motives."

"And once he discovered the reason behind her little gifts?" Amy asked.

"It was all over at that point; I think she must've gotten tired of him eatin' all of her snacks and then ignoring her… once that happened, the romance was over."

"Could you stop with the stories, Dad?" Michael growled.

"It's a good story, Son," John said, shaking his head at his son's complaint.

"It's not a good story, and don't tell anymore." He glanced around to make sure no one else had overheard his father's ill-timed story. He frowned when his gaze landed on the woman sitting next to his father and he shook his head when Amy just smiled at him.

"Oh, that's not that bad, Michael," she assured him. "Has Maria told you about her little trip to Albuquerque when she was twelve?"

"Mom, no one wants to hear about that," Maria protested, leveling a warning look at her mother. "There's no need to bore people with that story."

"You know me, honey." Amy smiled and turned to look at John, launching into her story as if her daughter hadn't spoken. "Maria had the biggest crush on this singer when she was twelve and she found out that he was gonna be performing in Albuquerque so while she was supposed to be spending the night at her friend Liz's house, she snuck out and onto a bus that runs up there."

"So, your twelve-year-old daughter took a three-hour bus ride with strangers into a large heavily-populated city and you were unaware of it?" Catherine asked, her tone filled with disapproval.

John turned to give his wife a warning look accompanied by a sharp shake of his head before shifting his attention back to Amy. "You must have been out of your mind with worry when you found out she wasn't at her friend's house."

Amy drew on her meditations and relaxation techniques to remain calm in the face of Catherine's attempt to start an argument. She could certainly understand her daughter's hostility towards the woman the other night a little better now. "Out of my mind doesn't even begin to describe it; I had a pretty good idea of where she had gone, but that really didn't help to settle my nerves. By the time I got there she had been picked up by security and raised such a fuss about being so close to her idol and not seeing him that the singer actually came out to find out what was going on. The police were notified of course, and they called me while I was on my way there, but do you think I went to the police station to pick her up? Nope. I had to go to the arena where the concert had been held so that I could be escorted backstage where my daughter was holding court with her idol."

"Mom," Maria grumbled when John burst out laughing.

"So, Maria…" Michael leaned in closer to his girlfriend and lowered his voice. "The story isn't that bad, so what're you hidin'? Was it a boy band?"

Maria shoved his shoulder. "No, it was not a boy band!"

"Uh-huh, I'll bet it was."

"It doesn't matter whether it was or not, you're never gonna find out."

"We'll see." He stood up and grabbed his empty glass off of the table. "I'm gonna get a drink, you wanna come with me?"

Maria started to say yes, but then realized that their parents would be left alone to share any number of potentially embarrassing stories. "No, I'll just stay here." She turned her head to the side and lowered her voice. "Just hurry up."

Michael nodded and hurried up to the house, getting waylaid by several family members who wanted to talk to him before he managed to get inside. He walked into the kitchen and filled his glass with ice and soda before pulling the Tabasco sauce out of the refrigerator door. He checked to make sure no one was around and then sprinkled some of the hot sauce into his glass.

He put everything away and was on his way back outside when he heard his uncle's frustrated voice coming from the living room and he backtracked, pausing near the doorway to listen for a few moments. He glanced inside and saw Randolph pacing around the room, his left hand gesturing wildly as he argued with the person on the other end of the call.

"Dawn, I'm not getting into that with you again," he was saying. "No, that topic is no longer open for discussion and I will not dignify that question with an answer."

_Uncle Randolph was talking to his ex-wife,_ Michael realized. _Dakota's mother._

"Do you honestly blame them for not inviting you or Dakota? The last time he got into a fight with Michael and there is no need to let that happen again. The boy is getting out of hand and you're only encouraging his behavior. He's goin' down a path that is only going to end badly if he continues and until we can present a united front, we're not gonna have a chance to put a stop to it."

Michael frowned when Randolph fell silent and it became apparent that Dawn was responding to his comment. His uncle obviously wanted to find a way to do something about Dakota but his aunt was fighting him on it.

"Last night it was a fight with those little thugs he's been hanging around with – " He sighed when she cut him off and a moment later he spoke up again. "Dawn, they beat up a kid because of his skin color; that's a racial crime and it's not somethin' that the law takes lightly." Another pause. "Probation," he murmured incredulously. "The lawyer thinks he can get him off on probation? No, I'm not happy about that, Dawn! Do you understand how serious this is? This time it was a street fight and luckily the kid they went after knew how to fight back, but one of these times he's gonna go after someone who can't and when that happens…" His voice trailed off as he shook his head.

Michael's eyebrows had risen as he listened to his uncle plead his case. He hadn't heard anything about Dakota being arrested recently, so either his aunt and uncle hadn't told anyone about it, or his own parents had chosen to keep that information to themselves.

"Because if we don't do something now, that boy is gonna end up in prison or dead," he said insistently. "Is that what you want?"

Michael slipped quietly down the hall and through the kitchen to go back outside. He had passed the point where he worried about his cousin anymore; Dakota had made his choices and Michael was done with him. But, he did worry about his uncle because if anything happened to Dakota he knew how badly it would hurt the man.

*****

Isabel looked around at the shabby condition of the houses that they were passing as they drove along the deeply rutted, unpaved roads. There were people sitting outside, children playing in the yards, and most of them turned to follow the car's slow progression.

"Why're they all staring like that?" she asked, watching the landscape; there was something missing, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

"We're strangers here; it's not meant to be malicious, Iz, they're just curious."

"I don't like it." Her tone was decisive and she crossed her arms over her chest defensively as her gaze slid over the people suspiciously.

Alex smiled just a little but he was careful to keep the humor out of his voice. "You've noticed the conditions around here, haven't you?"

"Well, of course I've noticed!" she snapped.

"Then you know your father's car doesn't exactly fit in; I haven't seen a single car here that's less than ten years older than this one. They're just wonderin' who we are and why we're here."

Isabel's eyes widened when he pulled over on the side of the road near what appeared to be another neighborhood. "What're you doing?"

"We could drive around here all day lookin' for our code talker, but we'll save a lot of time if we stop and ask someone."

"You're a guy, Alex."

"I'm so glad you've noticed," he said, grinning.

She refused to stroke his ego any further. "Guys do not stop and ask for directions."

"The smart ones do." He opened his door and lowered his left foot to the ground, gravel crunching underfoot. "Would you like to go with me?"

"No."

He nodded and got out of the car, walking around and opening her door, leaning against it and waiting patiently. "C'mon, walk with me and stop bein' so suspicious of people. They don't know anything about you; they're not lookin' for a way to discover your secrets, they're not plannin' to attack you, and as long as we don't disrespect them they aren't even gonna really care why we're here."

Isabel finally stepped out of the car, but only to avoid a public scene; she would deal with him and his presumptuous attitude later.

Alex led the way up to the first house and introduced both of them to the woman on the porch as he explained that they were high school students working on an assignment that involved a local code talker. He smiled politely and nodded when she said that she couldn't help them and he simply moved on to the next house further up the road.

"This is stupid, Alex," she argued when they crossed the road to speak with an elderly woman sitting on the porch steps of a rundown house. "No one wants to help us." They had been to several houses and no one had been able to give them the information that they needed to find the code talker.

"You have got to learn to be patient."

Isabel hung back when Alex approached the woman, listening to him as he went through his little we're-lost-can-you-help-us speech. Her eyebrows shot up when the woman gave him a toothless smile and motioned towards the road. Her speech was impeded by the lack of teeth but it didn't deter Alex; he simply sat down on the step near the woman and carried on a conversation that he managed to draw Isabel into.

After nearly an hour of speaking with the old woman they walked away with directions to the Silver Fox residence. Isabel glanced at Alex as they made their way back to the car; she gained more respect for him on a daily basis.

"How did you know someone would help us?"

"The same way you knew they wouldn't." He smiled when she just looked at him strangely and shook her head. "Do you need to call your dad and let him know we might be getting back later than we thought?"

She shook her head. "No, I accounted for you getting lost in the timeframe I gave my dad."

He just nodded. "Uh-huh, and did you also account for an hour talkin' to the locals?"

"I accounted for you getting _very _lost." She slid into her seat when he opened the door for her, hiding her smile when he just gave an amused snort and walked around to get in on the drivers' side. Any other guy would have gotten angry about her assumption that he would get lost, but not Alex.

It took another half an hour to reach a more isolated part of the Reservation and Isabel frowned when it suddenly occurred to her what had been missing earlier. "There are no electrical lines out here… there weren't any in that neighborhood where we stopped either."

"No, there weren't."

"Well, then how do they get electricity?"

"A lot of the homes don't have electricity, gas, phone lines, or even indoor plumbing," he answered, nodding when she turned to look at him, her expression one of shock.

"That's ridiculous," she insisted. "This's America! This country has some of the best technology in the world; how is it possible for people to not have water and power?" She couldn't understand it and she wasn't sure that she wanted to try. Not because she wasn't sympathetic, but because there was so much that could hinge on their conversation with the code talker.

Alex seemed to sense her hesitation because he changed the subject and started talking about something inconsequential. He continued to talk until they reached the dirt road that intersected the gravel road they had been on for a while. He took a left turn and a few minutes later they were approaching a small house.

"That must be him," Alex said, nodding at the only person in sight.

The old man was sitting in a rocking chair at one end of the small porch and he raised one hand in a wave of greeting as they stepped out of the car.


	80. Chapter 79

**Part 79 **

Maria followed her mother into the house and shrugged out of her jacket before sitting down at the kitchen table. Her mother had been surprisingly quiet during the ride home and she wondered what the older woman had on her mind.

"So, Michael's mother is something else," Amy said as she placed her bag on the counter and moved to get a couple of glasses down from a cabinet.

Maria watched her mother as she filled the glasses with juice and came over to sit at the table. "I told you."

"Well, John is definitely on your side, you were right about that."

"Um-hmm." _She already knew all of this, so why were they going over it again?_

"His family is very nice."

_Ah-ha! This was the perfect opening that she needed. Why was it okay for her mom to meet Michael's family and not okay for her to meet her mom's boyfriend?_ "So, Mom, speaking of families, when do I get to meet your mystery guy? You've practically met my boyfriend's entire family and I still haven't met your boyfriend."

"My boyfriend," she said slowly. _It sounded so… so juvenile to refer to Gabriel as her 'boyfriend'._ It was time to talk to her daughter like the adult she was becoming; they had talked about him a little bit last Saturday when Maria had come back from spending the weekend with Michael's family, and she had admitted that he wanted things to move forward, that he wanted marriage and children.

"So, tell me about him." Maria leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched her mother.

"I spent a lot of time thinking today while we were out at Michael's family's home. I also watched his family, their interaction…"

Maria smiled, proud of her boyfriend. He was gruff on the outside, but a real teddy bear inside. "He's good with his cousins, isn't he? Especially the little ones."

"Yes, he is; he'll be a good father one day." She smiled as she remembered watching him with a group of the children that afternoon as they begged him to show them his horse. "That actually brings me back to what I was thinking about…"

"Your boyfriend?" Maria asked, unable to hide her excitement.

Amy cleared her throat. "The man I'm involved with, yes. I told you that he's very serious about our relationship and he wants everything, but there were a few things that I didn't tell you about him…"

"Like what?" Her tone was wary.

"Yes, see, he's several years younger than me for one thing and there's also the fact that he's Native American."

Maria's eyebrows shot up in surprise. _Younger __**and**__ Native American? _"Younger? How much younger are we talking about here?" she asked suspiciously. _Dear God, she hoped he wasn't like 20 or 25 – that would just be too weird!_

Amy cleared her throat. Obviously, even though she claimed that she was a liberal, she was having a difficult time with that one. "Hmmm, he's 28, honey."

_Right, 28 years old… only about ten years older than she was; that could explain why her mother had hesitated to introduce him to her. She was much older than him, since she was 38 years old. _She took a deep breath. _She could do this. No problem. She was a big girl. What if she had met him during one of her visits to the Rez?_ "What're the chances that we would both get involved with guys with Native American ties?"

Amy smiled. She hadn't thought of it that way. "I've been scared to even think about taking such a big step in a relationship because of how it would affect you, but the other fear is that I'm not ready to make a commitment like that because while I love him, I also love my free lifestyle. You're practically an adult, Maria, almost ready to strike out on your own; I wasn't sure I was ready to start all over with diapers, middle-of-the-night feedings, and colic. While I was watching Michael's family I realized that I am ready for that if it happens."

Maria was shocked at her mother's admission. _What? Children? Had she just heard right?_ She just sat there with her mouth wide open, her eyes incredulous.

"So, what do you think, honey? How would you feel about being a big sister?"

_Okay, she was entirely entitled to freak out. And she was! Good Lord, this was not what she had expected her mother to say! She had considered that her mother would have a companion, a boyfriend, a lover, sure… but, a husband… other siblings… and with a younger Native American man? _She hadn't really considered those possibilities. Her mother had never indicated that she was interested in such a permanent relationship.

Amy watched the expressions chasing across Maria's face, knowing her daughter well enough to know that she was just reacting in her usual excessive manner. "Maria, sniff some cedar oil, honey. Take a few deep breaths and you'll feel better in just a minute." She laughed when Maria grabbed the little glass vial of cedar oil, uncapping it and deeply inhaling the calming scent. "And here I thought you were an adult," she said, her tone filled with irony. "Aren't you the one always telling me that?"

Maria glared at her mother when the woman poked gentle fun at her and she sat back as the cedar oil began to work on her hyper nerves. "You know, Mom, it doesn't matter how old you are; if your parent drops the new-husband-and-new-kids bomb on you, it's bound to be a shock!"

Amy nodded and knew that the teenager needed a little time to gather her feelings together and find a way to reconcile with the situation. "Why don't you go to your room and get settled in for the evening," she suggested. _Maybe she should give Gabriel a call, tell him that she was ready for him to meet… well, officially meet her daughter._

"That's a good idea," Maria said. "I am a little bit tired." She noticed her mother moving towards the telephone as she hurried out of the kitchen. As soon as she was in her own bedroom she closed the door and pulled her cell phone out of her jacket pocket before tossing it across the foot of the bed.

She entered Michael's number and hit the call button, throwing herself back on the bed as she waited for him to answer. He barely had time to get more than a casual 'hello' out before she was off and running, reciting the conversation she had just had with her mother.

Michael's mouth was still hanging open by the time she ended her long-winded story without pausing to take a breath. "So, you called me because you're pissed that your mom thinks she wants a serious future with this guy?"

"Do you understand how monumental this is, Michael?" she huffed.

Michael rolled his eyes. _Maria loved drama and he was sure that she was exaggerating. _"Did you expect her to stay single the rest of her life? I thought you said you wanted her to find someone to be happy with so she wouldn't be alone after you're gone?"

"Well," she stuttered, "well, I do want that."

"But only on your terms?"

"What?" Maria frowned, wondering what exactly he meant by that.

Michael sighed and decided to just tell her the cold, hard truth. "Suck it up, Maria; you're bein' selfish. You're actin' like a spoiled little girl by withholding your blessing and not tellin' her you're happy for her." _Maria probably won't like hearing that,_ he thought, but that's how she was acting at the moment – like a spoiled little girl.

_What?!_ Maria held the phone out in front of her as she stared at it, glaring at it in the hopes that he could feel it 70 miles away. _She wasn't being selfish or acting like a spoiled child! How dare he say that to her?!_ She brought the phone back up to her ear and winced when she realized that he was still talking.

"You can't possibly expect your mother to be happy on your terms, Maria. You should just be happy for her."

"I am happy for her," she protested.

"Are you?"

"Yes, but – "

Michael interrupted her before she could say anymore. "Then why're you on the phone with me bitchin' about it instead of tellin' her that you're happy for her and you support her decision?"

Maria's mouth dropped open as she realized that he was right. "Um, maybe you're right; I should go back and talk to her," she admitted reluctantly.

Michael smirked. _Of course he was right!_ "Call me later and let me know how it goes."

She nodded. "Thanks for the reality check, Michael."

"Just remember that I was right, that's all I need."

Maria rolled her eyes as she disconnected the call. _He __**had**__ been right and she was never going to live it down_. She tossed the phone on the bed and ran out of her room to find her mother.

*****

Robert Silver Fox was in his 80's with weathered skin that looked like it had been baked in the desert sun for too many years. His long silver hair was pulled back in a single braid and he wore a cowboy hat that had seen better days. He spoke slowly, but his English was fluid despite the thick accent of his native tongue.

Isabel listened as Alex went through the list of interview questions they had put together and she wondered why he was taking notes. He had asked the old man if they could record the conversation with the video camera he had brought along, explaining that they would like to use it for reference and as a visual aid for their project. Alex had assured her that he could edit the video to destroy anything that couldn't be viewed by anyone outside of their group and she trusted him to keep his word.

"Have you lived here since your service with the military ended?" Alex asked.

The question wasn't on their list and Isabel realized that he had already finished the official interview and now he was just making conversation.

Robert Silver Fox smiled as he shook his head. "I was still a young man when I returned home from the war and the Reservation felt… different; I didn't understand at the time that I was the one who was different. I came home a changed man and I didn't feel that I belonged here so I spent many years wandering around this country, trying to find where I fit in." His faded eyes stared into the distance. "It was a different time then and it didn't take long to realize that I didn't belong out in the rest of the world either."

Alex glanced at Isabel, seeing the empathy for the old man on her face. She knew what it was like to feel like she didn't fit in or belong.

"How did you know this was where you belonged?" She couldn't resist asking.

The code talker slowly turned to look at her. "This isn't the first time I've been asked that question," he said, a smile appearing on his wrinkled, leathery face. "Everyone has something in their past that makes them question their place and their worth; what people don't understand is that they're asking the wrong questions."

Isabel moved to the edge of her seat without conscious thought. "What're the right questions?"

"They're different for everyone; you just have to trust those you love to be able to deal with your dark side – whatever that encompasses – and you have to be willing to accept their help." He shrugged one shoulder. "That's what helped me and what eventually brought me home."

The wind gusted or a moment, bringing a shower of dust and sand with it. There was very little to prevent the wind from blowing in their direction and Robert Silver Fox barely even flinched as tiny bits of sand impacted with his exposed skin.

"It will be getting colder as night falls," he observed as the wind died down again. "You mentioned a translation?"

"Oh, yeah," Alex said as he reached for his backpack and pulled the letter out of a notebook. "It belonged to a friend's grandfather and it looks like it's written in the language used by code talkers."

The old man accepted the letter and he scanned over it for several minutes before glancing up at them. "This friend of your friend's grandfather… was he a writer by any chance?"

"We don't really know," Alex admitted. "But it's possible."

"Why?" Isabel asked. "What's it say?"

Robert Silver Fox held the letter out where they could watch him as he ran his fingers across the lines of written words. "Atherton, the man who wrote the letter, he tells the story of the stranger… someone he calls…" He frowned as he went over the unfamiliar word. "Nacedo, I believe, but he only refers to him by name a single time; the rest of the time he is referred to as 'the stranger'." He ran his fingers over the next few lines. "The story tells of the stranger trusting Atherton, sharing with him the story of four children hidden in a cave in the desert…" He scratched his chin as he studied the next few lines.

Alex and Isabel exchanged an excited look as they both had the same thought – _the stranger, Nacedo, must have been an alien!_

"Yes, it continues here… two males and two females, created for a purpose…" He frowned again. "No, not a purpose… a destiny… yes, a destiny that they were to follow…" He scanned the last few lines of the letter. "Atherton began to fear the stranger, even more so after expressing his concern over the fact that the children would have no free will, that they would have no lives…" He shook his head. "I'm afraid that this man Atherton may have been slightly unstable; he writes as if these events had actually taken place."

"Is that all it says?" Isabel asked, trembling with shock. _The letter had mentioned four children – what if there were others like her and Max still out there somewhere?_

"It ends there with a request for help from Atherton to the man he wrote the letter to." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but that's all there is."

"Well, at least now we know what's in the letter and we can let our friend know," Alex said.

They stayed for another half an hour, going over some of the more important points of the interview before they packed their equipment up, thanked the old man, and said their goodbyes. They had so much to talk about on the ride home and they were eager to get back on the road.

Alex settled in behind the steering wheel, glancing at Isabel and easily seeing how shocked she was to learn what was inside the letter. It was silent for a few minutes as he back-tracked their route and made his way back towards the highway.

"So, what're you thinkin'?" he asked, trying to watch her without being obvious about it.

"I'm thinking that it's a long drive home."

He nodded, understanding that she wasn't ready to talk about it yet. He concentrated on the road in the fading light, wondering if she'd want to stop for dinner in a little while. He would wait a while and see if she brought the subject up on her own and if she didn't he'd try again later.


	81. Chapter 80

**Part 80**

Doubts and old insecurities began to creep in as the hours slowly crept by and Maria glanced at the clock on her nightstand, groaning silently at the late hour before shifting to stare at the ceiling once more. The next day was Sunday so she knew she could sleep in, but she had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. _She'd be lucky if she could just fall asleep at this point,_ she thought.

She had gone to talk to her mother after her conversation with Michael and when she had reached the doorway to the kitchen she had paused. Her mother had been talking to her mystery man and she had listened for a few minutes, really hearing the difference in the older woman's voice as she spoke. This guy wasn't a passing phase like the rest of her mother's short-lived relationships and that realization made her nervous.

She knew her mother loved her, but knowing that there was someone else in the picture who she would have to share her with scared her. It had been years since she had felt so insecure about her place in her mother's life and she didn't like the feeling. Sure, she had known that realistically it was unlikely that the woman would remain single for the rest of her life. And, yeah, she wanted her mother to find someone to be with so she wouldn't be alone and lonely after Maria went away, whether to college or just stepping out into life, but she honestly hadn't considered that a husband and more children might be a part of that scenario.

Her mother had never been that interested in marriage; the woman enjoyed the freedom of being a free spirit and the ability to come and go as she pleased. Maria rolled over as she forced herself to acknowledge the real fear that was keeping her awake and she stared at the digital numbers on her alarm clock as the late hour mocked her. It would be bad enough if her mother got married and she had to share her with the new husband, but what if they really did have children together? She was almost 18, she was mere months away from striking out on her own; a new husband, maybe a new baby or two… how easy would it be for her mother to forget her and replace her with them?

_You're being stupid, Maria,_ she thought. _Damn insecurities!_ She forced her eyes to close and tried to concentrate on sleep, but it only took a matter of minutes before her eyes were open again and her mind was going over the possibilities again.

_It's easy to forget someone once they're not in the picture anymore,_ her mind taunted. _Look at your father; he forgot you pretty quickly once he left, so what makes you think it'll be any different once you leave and your mother has another child? Out of sight, out of mind, isn't that the way it works?_

"It's not the same thing," she whispered into the darkness.

She just needed to stop thinking about all of the what-ifs and get some sleep. She had heard her mother invite her boyfriend over for dinner on Sunday night and she had to pull herself together before meeting him. She was obsessing over all of the negative things that could occur from a permanent relationship between the man and her mother instead of considering the positive things.

Michael was right – not that she was about to tell him that – but, he was right; she didn't want her mother to be alone when she left to start her own life. It was only a matter of months before she moved out and she wanted her mother to be happy, she didn't want her to be alone, but she didn't want to be replaced either.

She knew her thoughts were unfair, but she couldn't seem to control them and she knew she couldn't meet her mother's boyfriend with the biased thoughts at the front of her mind. She sighed and turned over again, pulling the blankets up over her shoulders and running over some meditations in an effort to put the negative thoughts away so she could sleep.

*****

Alex glanced at Isabel in the dimly-lit interior of the car, wondering where her thoughts were. She had been silent for most of the drive and she had said very little when they had stopped to eat several hours earlier.

He was sure her mind had to be racing with the possibilities that suddenly existed. She was probably in shock after learning that there were two others out there somewhere who were like her and Max. He could only imagine what learning that there was a fifth alien out there who had planned to make sure they followed some sort of predestined plan was unsettling.

"We'll be home in about half an hour," he said quietly.

Isabel turned her head when he spoke and she suddenly realized that she had basically ignored him since they had left the code talker. "Oh, Alex, I'm sorry…"

"For what?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"You've done all this work, given up half of your weekend, and – "

"You're not tryin' to apologize, are you?" He couldn't keep the smile from spreading across his face. "Because it's not necessary, Isabel, and like I've told you before, we both did the work."

Isabel shifted a little so she could look at him. "How do you think Max and I got separated from the others? Do you think they were found by someone else?"

"Well, as for how you guys got separated, I'm not sure about that. But, I think we might be able to look for them since if they were found out in the desert like you guys were it more than likely made the papers."

Isabel thought about that. "I'll bet you're right. And they had to be found in the same general vicinity, right? I mean, that'd make the most sense if we were all together at one point." She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "Why don't I remember them though? Max and I have no recollection of others like us, but we were six years old when we were found, Alex."

"Well, it was a traumatic event for you, Isabel. We don't know what happened before you guys were found wandering in the desert; how you got separated from the others, how long you were out there alone, or even where you were before you ended up out there."

"But, you really think we can find those answers?"

He smiled at her curious tone. "Hey, we've already found out so much that you probably never thought we'd find." He caught her hesitant movement when her hand crept across the console between them before stopping and moving back towards her again, and he reached out to wrap his hand around hers. He looked at her as he came to a stop at the first intersection in their hometown. "We'll do everything we can to find the answers, Isabel," he promised.

She met his gaze, reading the sincerity and determination there and she suddenly realized just how much she was coming to rely on him for advice, reassurance, and friendship. She was glad when the light changed from red to green and he had to look away because she had enough to deal with at the moment, she didn't need anything else to try to figure out.

They arrived at her house several minutes later and her right eyebrow lifted when she noticed that his car was still in the driveway.

"My mom asked one of her friends to pick her up since I knew we'd be getting back late and she didn't want me walkin' home at this time of night."

"I could've dropped you off, Alex."

"Call me old-fashioned, but I always walk my dates to their front door," he said with a teasing grin.

Isabel rolled her eyes at him, but didn't complain when he did just that.

"You know you can call me if you need to talk or anything, right?" he asked as they stood on the porch.

She nodded. "I've gotta figure out what I'm gonna tell my parents and Max, but… keep your phone close, okay?"

"Always do," he said, winking as he walked to his car.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside, waiting in the open doorway until he had gotten into his car and pulled out of the driveway. She walked inside and locked up before going to look for her father. He was stretched out on the couch, sound asleep with one of his law books lying open on his chest.

She smiled fondly and picked the book up, closing it and putting it on the coffee table before grabbing the throw lying over the back of the couch and shaking it out. She placed the light cover over him and kissed his cheek before quietly going through the house to her bedroom and leaning back to rest against the closed door.

*****

Elaine looked up from the program she was watching when her son walked into the kitchen mid-morning on Sunday. She reached out to mute the small television at the end of the counter so she could give him her full attention. She had heard him come in a little after midnight, but she had only checked on him to make sure he had made it back safely and that everything was alright before leaving him alone so he could go to bed. He had been exhausted and it had only been a matter of minutes before he had fallen asleep and he had slept straight through the night and well into the morning.

"Mornin', Mom," he greeted as he shuffled over to the cabinet to pull down a glass.

"Well, good morning to you, too sweetie; although it's nearly noon." She smiled as she watched him get a glass of orange juice before going over to sit at the breakfast table.

"Really?" Alex glanced at the clock on the wall, verifying the time and he was suddenly wide awake. "Wait, did you hear my phone ring? Did Isabel call?"

"No, there weren't any calls from Isabel; the only call you missed was from Nicky wanting to let you know that he's back from Denver and for you to call him when you have time." She tipped her head to one side, studying her son before she joined him at the table. "You were expecting a call from Isabel?"

"Not expectin' one, but…" He shrugged. "Did you know that Isabel and her brother were found in the desert when they were six years old?"

Elaine's eyebrows shot up in surprise. That story had been in the newspapers for weeks when it had first broken and it wasn't likely that she would ever forget it. "Oh, my goodness! I remember reading that story in the paper, but the children were never named so I didn't make the connection."

"We've talked about it… I've been helping her look for any information that might give her some answers about her past."

"So, it was in the papers? Did you ever read anything about any other kids bein' found?"

She frowned. "No, not that I recall. It was a big story around here at the time, so I'm sure that if more children had been found in the desert that it would've been reported." She paused, wondering about his questions. "Sweetie, I know you're trying to help her, but that might be something that's best left to her parents."

"Oh, no, she's talked to her parents about it, Mom. She just wants some answers, y'know?"

"Sometimes the answers that you want aren't the ones that you get," she said, concerned that the girl her son cared about was going to end up getting hurt.

Alex bit the inside of his cheek, knowing that he couldn't tell his mother everything about Isabel's quest. The alien secret was a heavy one and he knew it had to be even more of a weight for Isabel. "We both know that, Mom; it's one of the things we talk about so much. Can you imagine what it must be like for her? Not knowing anything about her past, not knowing where she came from, or why she was left out there like that, abandoned by the people who should've done everything in their power to protect her?"

Elaine smiled, proud of her son and how dedicated and passionate he was. "Are you also prepared for the possibility that you may never find the answers? I'm sure her parents and the authorities must have exhausted just about all of the options to find her biological parents."

"You're right," he conceded, "and she's prepared for that possibility. Her father doesn't think we'll find anything, but she needs to know that _she's_ turned over every stone. I hope we find somethin' because I really don't wanna see her get hurt, and realistically, I know she could get hurt whether we find somethin' or not." He laughed quietly. "She's stubborn though, and she wants the answers regardless… and I think she has that right, Mom."

"Sometimes I forget that you're practically an adult." Elaine sighed as she reached out to place her hand alongside his cheek, looking at him for several long minutes. Her baby was almost a man and as much as she wanted him to be independent and do things and make certain decisions because he felt they were right she also wanted to know that he still needed her in some way. "I can't believe next year at this time you'll be in college."

Alex smiled at his mother. "Next year at this time I'll probably be sittin' right here, wishin' I hadn't finished off all the Thanksgiving leftovers," he teased. "I'll see you for the holidays, Mom."

Elaine blinked back the tears that suddenly pushed to the surface and she patted his cheek before standing up. "You must be hungry; why don't I fix you something to eat while you tell me all about your visit with the code talker," she suggested.

He nodded and turned in his chair so he could watch her move around the kitchen as she started to pull things out of the refrigerator and cabinets. When she started to cook he launched into the story, going over all that they had learned about code talkers during the war and some of the colorful stories the old man had shared with them.


	82. Chapter 81

**Part 81**

Max carefully opened the door to his sister's room and crept inside when he saw that she was still sleeping. He crossed the room and dropped down to sit in the chair at her desk as he debated the best way to wake her up. He knew from experience that she could be unbearable if her morning started off wrong, so it was always best to be smart about waking her up.

He was shifting to prop his right elbow on the desk when he noticed the corner of a printed email sticking out from under the keyboard. Curiosity had him easing it out and glancing over it and his eyebrows lifted when he noticed Alex's name as the recipient of the email. He was frowning as he read through the email for the second time and his head shot up when the paper was suddenly snatched out of his hand.

He whirled around to face his sister and he fought to control his anger as he crossed his arms over his chest. The email had been sent in response to a query regarding a Navajo code talker and there was only one reason for Alex to be making such an inquiry. "We agreed that we wouldn't investigate the letter – "

"No, Max, _you_ decided after completely disregarding my feelings on the subject."

"You're not going to see this guy, Isabel."

She was gritting her teeth at his authoritative tone and she bit back her initial response. "Tell ya what, Max," she said as she made her way to the bathroom, "I'm gonna go take a shower and then we can talk about it."

"There's nothing to talk about." He scowled when she shut the door without another word.

He should've known there was something going on when she started spending so much time with Alex. She had been using the guy to help her, taking advantage of his obvious attraction to her, just to get his help. Isabel could turn the charm on when she wanted to; he had seen her do it plenty of times and he was certain that Alex wouldn't be impervious to it.

_What was she thinking? Didn't she understand that something like this could completely jeopardize their safety?_ He had to make her see what a risk it was to even consider such a move. "I'm not gonna sit here and argue about this with you," he said when she came back a while later.

"That's good because it'd be a big waste of time," Isabel retorted.

Max was just about to tell her that he was glad she was seeing things his way when she continued with a shocking statement.

"Alex and I went to see him yesterday and the letter's already been translated." Her smile was filled with satisfaction as she delivered that bit of news.

Max's eyes narrowed. "Your comedy routine needs work because you're not funny."

Isabel shrugged as she turned to look at him. "I wasn't making a joke."

"You weren't making a joke," he repeated slowly. He decided after several minutes that she was bluffing. "No, you couldn't have gone to see that guy… didn't the email say he was in Arizona? There's no way you could sneak a trip that long under Mom and Dad's radar."

"Well, you're right about that." _Little brother thought he knew everything and he could control her? He was in for a shock,_ she thought.

Max held his hands up, satisfied that he was right.

"I didn't need to sneak under the parental radar because I talked to Mom and Dad about it." The trip would've been worth it just to see the incredulous look on his face.

"You've talked to them… about what exactly? Your phony research project?"

Isabel frowned. "Our project is valid; nothing about it is phony."

Max dropped his head in his hands, furious with his sister and her careless actions. "Is that how you convinced Alex to help you? Because the guy would do anything for you. Did you con him into doing an assignment with you so you could get him to help you?"

Isabel went head to head with Max, her icy glare locked on her brother. "I don't appreciate your insinuation that Alex is just some mindless guy who can be easily manipulated. You don't know him, Max, so don't judge him." She changed the subject when she realized she was defending Alex to her brother. "Why don't we talk about the letter?"

"Why don't we talk about what you said to Mom and Dad," he said before she could get started. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what was in the letter; it could mean that his life was about to change and he wasn't ready for that.

"They knew that Alex and I have been working together on a project about the war and we were going to interview a code talker… and they know that we were planning to pursue a possible lead about our biological parents." She watched Max as he stood and started pacing.

"Do you know what you've done?" he asked finally.

"Yeah, I discovered that there were originally four of us." If it hadn't been such an important moment she would've laughed at his slack-jawed expression.

Max sat back down, shocked at her revelation and trying very hard to process the unexpected information. They hadn't been alone in the desert; there had been others… like them.

*****

Maria watched her mother as she moved around the kitchen putting dinner together and singing under her breath. It was a nervous habit and she was surprised at the realization that her mother was dealing with a case of nerves. "So, Mom, you haven't told me the guy's name."

Amy paused and turned to look at her daughter. "What?"

"Your boyfriend, he has a name, doesn't he?" Maria asked with an impressive roll of her eyes. _Could her mother be anymore like a teenager with her dreamy expression?_

"You'll meet him soon enough," Amy answered, aware of Maria's frustration. _Her daughter would never change, she would always be impatient._

Maria frowned, but let it pass unchallenged. "So, have you met his parents?"

Amy cringed. That was a touchy subject and one that she knew could put a temporary halt to any forward movement with her and Gabriel's relationship. "Um, no, not yet."

"Why not?" Maria wondered aloud.

"I felt like we should wait until I was ready to make a commitment because meeting the parents is pretty serious and they're bound to have some reservations, so…" She shrugged and opened the oven door so she could slide a baking dish inside.

"You think they'll have a problem with you being older than him?" Maria was outraged. _How dare those idiots think that her mother wasn't good enough for their son?_ Blinded by her indignation, Maria didn't realize that she was defending her mother in her mind while she herself hadn't been that pleased to learn about Amy's new relationship.

"Well, ten years is a significant difference. Especially when the woman is the one who's older; it doesn't seem to be such an issue when the man is the older one." _Talk about an unfair world,_ Amy thought to herself.

"What's he think about it?" Maria asked curiously.

"He thinks they'll accept me without any problems," Amy answered unenthusiastically.

Maria needed something to eat, something loaded with sugar and lots of fat because this discussion was giving her a headache. She went to the refrigerator, looking inside and retrieving a nice thick piece of the chocolate cake there. She wasted no time eating it, asking with her mouth full, "You don't agree?"

Amy nodded absently, lost in her thoughts. "I may not have met his parents and I'm sure they're perfectly nice people who want the best for their son, but I can understand their position from a different perspective because I'm a parent, too." She shook her head as she dried her hands on a dishtowel. "I don't think they're gonna just accept me as easily as he thinks they are."

"You think they won't be happy for him? For both of you?" Maria concluded, licking her chocolate-covered fingers.

"I think they'll want to be happy for him, but at the same time they'll be concerned about the age difference." She turned to take a good look at her daughter. "Maria DeLuca! That cake was for tonight." She groaned. She had wanted everything to be perfect and she didn't have time to make another one. "Fine, you'll just have to run to the store and buy one, young lady."

She smiled when Maria grumbled at being reprimanded like a kid. But she could see that Maria had loved her mother still behaving… like a mother. She shook her head. _Children!_


	83. Chapter 82

**Part 82 **

Max was still reeling from all of the information that his sister had gathered the day before and he blindly followed her as she led the way to the kitchen where their parents were having coffee. How had he missed things that had been going on around him? Had he been so involved in his new relationship with Liz that he had completely ignored the signs that his sister was making dangerous decisions without even consulting him?

She and Alex had continued with the translation of the letter even after he had declared it to be too risky; despite his belief to the contrary Alex had managed to locate someone who had been able to read the code and now they had more information than he knew what to do with. And if all of that wasn't enough, Isabel had taken it upon herself to confide in their parents about her search for their biological parents.

"Mom, Daddy, can we talk to you?"

Philip and Diane looked at their children when they entered the kitchen, surprised to see the concerned look on their son's face.

"Sure, what's going on?" Philip asked.

Diane crossed the room to hug her daughter and she leaned back to search the girl's face. "Your dad said you got back late last night," she said, searching for any sign that her daughter was in distress over anything that she had learned. "How was your trip?"

"It was very informative," Isabel answered. "Alex and I ran across some information and that's what I wanted to talk to you about." She made a waving motion towards her brother when he sat down heavily in one of the chairs at the table. "I've already told Max about me and Alex going out to Arizona yesterday, and now I need to talk to you guys."

"Everything alright, honey?" Philip asked.

Isabel hesitated. She didn't want to put such a weight on her parents' shoulders or to make them feel guilty about the fate of the other children. _What had happened to them? Had they been adopted? Or had they ended up in the foster care system, bounced around from one place to the next?_ "Oh, yeah, everything's fine. I was just wondering what you guys remember from that night… the night you found us in the desert."

Diane glanced uncertainly at her husband and he moved to stand beside her when she sat down across from Max. "We've told you about that," she insisted. "Why do you ask?"

Isabel chewed on her bottom lip, unsure about going on because she was worried about her mother's reaction to her news. "The man Alex and I talked to said he remembered hearing about two other children being found wandering in the desert around the same time and it made me wonder if you remembered anything else from that night… maybe something that you never told us because you didn't want us to be upset."

Diane stilled, horrified at her daughter's words. She had had nightmares about that night for years, about a third child that she had _thought_ she had seen. _Had she been right? Had her subconscious been trying to tell her that there was another child that night and she had unwittingly turned her back on him?_ She nervously picked up a dishtowel and twisted it nervously between her hands. "When we saw you that night…" She swallowed with difficulty. "I thought for a moment that there was a third child, but when we pulled over and got out of the car it was just the two of you." She grabbed her husband's hand, squeezing it spasmodically. "I was so sure it was just an illusion, a trick of the moonlight… Oh, my God, Philip, we just left that child out there! What if he died because we didn't take the time to look around?"

Philip wrapped his arms around his wife's trembling shoulders, doing his best to comfort her even though he was having the same thoughts. It suddenly occurred to him that his daughter had said the other children had been found, but she hadn't said what condition they had been found in.

"When you said other children had been found…" He let the sentence dangle, uncomfortable finishing the thought aloud.

"Oh, no, Daddy, no… he didn't say they were dead," she rushed to reassure her parents. "He just said that they had been found in the desert as well."

"So, this other kid that you thought you saw when you found us," Max said slowly. "You think it was a boy?"

Diane glanced at her husband before nodding slowly. "That night I thought I saw another little boy, but it happened so quickly and then when we stopped it was just the two of you…" Her right hand fluttered nervously at her throat as she considered the possible ramifications of them not searching the area more thoroughly that night. _What if that other child_ – _children,_ she reminded herself – _had some of the same abilities that her own children had?_

Isabel was studying her mother's reaction, trying to understand it; being upset about overlooking a child that had been abandoned in the desert was one thing, but there was a look of something that seemed more like fear in her mother's eyes and that confused her. "Mom, is there something else?"

Max turned his head to look at his sister. _Something else?_ But as he looked back at his parents he realized why she had asked that question. There was something in their expressions that didn't quite fit in with the conversation and Isabel rarely considered subtlety when she had something to say.

Philip rubbed his wife's shoulders as he cleared his throat. He had been so sure that this conversation wouldn't be necessary so soon, but it was only fair since he had brushed Diane's concerns aside when he had assured her that there was nothing for Isabel to find in Arizona.

"It's just troubling to learn that there may have been one or two more children out there that night," Diane said as she reached up to take her husband's hand. "Not only because it would mean that they had been left in the desert, but because…" She swallowed hard and nodded gratefully when Philip picked up the conversation.

"We've never been able to locate your biological parents," he started, "and beyond the first few months of intense searching we let it drop. We can only imagine what kind of people abandon their children in the desert and the fact is that the two of you have some differences that we didn't want to draw attention to."

They didn't miss the looks of shock and fear that passed between their children and she rushed to reassure them, but before she could utter a word Isabel turned to look at her.

"You know?" she whispered hoarsely.

"We know that there are some things that set the two of you apart from others; we don't know why the differences exist and we've always been careful to avoid drawing attention to them because we wanted to give you the most normal lives possible."

"When did you know?" Max asked when his mouth finally caught up with his brain.

Diane gave a short laugh. "There were a few things that gave it away immediately but we didn't really connect the dots until later. The two of you have never been sick a day in your lives and that's practically unheard of, you healed a bird with a broken wing when you were little, and Isabel's sense of fashion has always been just a step above what her allowance provides. There have been other small things through the years, and we have no explanation for these occurrences, but we didn't want to do anything that would bring the wrong kind of attention on you or make you feel like you had to hide who you are from us."

Despite Isabel's preference for controlling her emotions she could feel them fighting to be free at the realization that their parents knew they were different and that they still loved them. They didn't understand the differences, didn't know that they weren't from here on Earth, but they had accepted that their children were different and they had never treated them any differently because of it.

She lost the battle with her emotions when her parents came over and pulled her and Max into their arms, hugging them tightly and reassuring them that nothing could ever take their love away.

*****

Gabriel stepped out of his car and stared up at the house that Amy shared with her daughter and he took in a deep, calming breath. He didn't deal with a lot of teenagers, but they were just adults with a little less maturity and common sense. He smoothed his hand over the carved turquoise arrowhead that rested near his throat at the top of his bolo tie and he went over his earlier conversation with Amy.

He had met Maria, but at the time she'd had no idea that he was the man involved with her mother; he had just been the nice man who had given her directions on the Rez. Amy had warned him that her daughter was having a difficult time accepting that her mother was seriously involved with a younger man and he knew he could only do his best to convince her that he was no threat to their relationship.

He tried to ignore the nervous feeling as he neared the front door, but it was difficult to do. He couldn't remember ever being this nervous about anything in his whole life! He had a feeling, based on his talk with Amy that Maria was going to do her best to test him, but he had every intention of keeping his calm. It had only been her and Amy for most of her life and she was possessive of her mother; their roles were well-defined and he was coming in to challenge those roles as far as she was concerned. Maria had a strong personality and she was quite a character so he knew dinner was most likely not going to go as smoothly as he had hoped.

Stepping up on the porch he knocked on the door and waited patiently for it to be opened. His nerves flared to life again when he heard the lock being turned and he found himself hoping that Amy would be the one standing on the other side for more than one reason. He was relieved when the door was pulled open and he was greeted by Amy's smiling, welcoming face.

Maria stared at her reflection in the mirror, rolling her eyes when her mother called her to come and join her and her boyfriend. "Boyfriend," she scoffed, taking her time before deciding to leave her bedroom. She waited until a couple of minutes had passed and then she made her way down the hall to the front of the house where she could hear them talking.

"Sorry, I'm late," she said airily as she rounded the corner.

Amy gritted her teeth at her daughter's insincere apology; it was apparent that not only was Maria not sorry for being late, but that it had been quite intentional.

Maria was shocked when she came face to face with her mother's significant other; she really didn't know what she had been expecting, but it wasn't this! He was the man she had met on the Rez, the man who had helped her to locate River Dog when she had been desperately seeking a way to help Michael. She was annoyed as she realized that her mother had to have realized that they had met when she had talked about him at Michael's house the day before.

_Damn it! In some way she was kind of indebted to him, she owed him for his help that day on the Rez… it was because of him that she had been able to find River Dog and help Michael._

"I know the two of you have already met, but let me make formal introductions."

Maria had accepted the unappealing fact that she was going to have to make an effort with the man because she did owe him in some manner, but as she sat down across the dinner table from him she realized that she was lost for words. She studied him throughout dinner, easily seeing the difference in her mother's age and Gabriel's age. _How was it possible that she could have… would have, if her mother's indications were anything to go by, a stepfather who was only ten years older than she was?_

Gabriel made it a point to try to talk about things that appealed to the teenager, but he could see that he wasn't getting anywhere. Amy had tried on several occasions to start conversations that they could all participate in, but Maria had stubbornly refused to become involved. He could see that it was beginning to wear on Amy and he knew she was getting upset, so as dinner came to an end he decided it was time to take action.

"Amy, would you mind if Maria and I took a few minutes to talk amongst ourselves?"

Maria was surprised by his question; she had expected him to be fed up with her behavior by now. She had not anticipated him wanting to talk to her without her mother present, but as she glanced over at the older woman she realized that maybe she had taken it too far and she reluctantly agreed.

Gabriel stepped out onto the front porch and waited for Maria to move past him before he leaned back inside and pulled the door closed. He turned to face the teenager, resisting the urge to cross his arms and shoving his hands in his pockets instead. "This is very hard for your mother, you know. She's put our relationship on hold because she's scared of hurting you. I know I'm not your father, and you probably won't appreciate any advice I have to give you, but I think you need to understand that your mother has a right to live her life as a woman, not just as a mother. Your place in her life and the way she loves you will never change; those things are as true and reliable as the sun rising and setting each day."

"I know that," Maria insisted mutinously.

"Do you?"

"You know, you're full of good advice, but why don't we switch the focus to you for a minute or two? Have you introduced my mother to your parents? No, you haven't, so why don't we have this talk after you've done that… after you've been in a similar position."

Gabriel paused, startled by the girl's perception. _It was a bit of the same thing,_ he realized as he watched her. His parents had been in their forties when he had been conceived, so they were considerably older and they were very traditional. He knew they were going to have concerns and reservations about him marrying a White woman, a woman who already had a grown daughter from a previous relationship, and a woman who was also ten years his senior.

Maria watched him, suddenly understanding that her mother and Gabriel had a long, tough road ahead of them. They would have to face opposition from his family and society, but they shouldn't have to face it from her as well. She didn't want to be just one more burden for them to have to deal with. "Maybe we can call a truce," she offered.

"A truce?" he asked, surprised.

"I know it probably doesn't seem like it, but I love my mom and I want her to be happy; it's just gonna take some time to get used to all this. And it's definitely gonna take some time to get used to you. I know it's not fair to my mom to try to keep her all to myself, but you have to understand that I can't just hand her over to you either."

"I just want you to understand that it's not an either/or situation, Maria. Your mother doesn't have to choose between us." He laughed quietly. "Which is good, because there would be no choice and I know I'd lose; you don't have to hand her over to me, your mother has enough love for both of us."

"We'll work on it," Maria said and searched for a new subject because she couldn't take much more of the current one. "So, how well do you know River Dog?"

Gabriel accepted the change and went with it, discussing his acquaintance with River Dog and the old man's family. He knew them well enough that he was familiar with who was who and he spent enough time with River Dog that he was able to carry on a conversation with the teenager about her boyfriend and his family.

They talked for a little while, until Amy opened the door and poked her head out to check on them. "Anyone ready for dessert?" she asked tentatively. She breathed a sigh of relief when they nodded and followed her inside.

"I got into the chocolate cake she made for dessert earlier and Mom made me go out and buy one from the store, so if she tells you she made this one, don't believe her," Maria said, her voice lowered so that her mother wouldn't overhear her comment.

Gabriel laughed at the girl's mischievous grin and nodded. "Deal."

Maria settled down at the table, feeling a little more confident than she had at the beginning of dinner. She still wasn't completely sure she was ready to deal with a stepfather, but she was a little more ready to give him a chance than she had been earlier.


	84. Chapter 83

**Part 83 **

Liz was sitting on her rooftop balcony, curled up in a chaise lounge and writing in her journal when she heard the familiar sound of Max's boots striking the rungs of the ladder mounted to the side of the building. She knew he had something on his mind as soon as she could see his face and before she could respond to his distracted greeting he was on the move. He prowled around the small space, picking things up only to put them back down a moment later.

It hadn't taken long to figure out that Max had a controlling personality and that he had a tendency of thinking he had to handle everything on his own. Someone or something had upset him and he was trying to find a way to re-establish his feeling of control. She let him go for several minutes, but when he started to smooth out the uneven patches of mortar between the bricks in the wall she stood and reached out to wrap her hand around his wrist.

"Why don't we just talk about whatever's bothering you," she suggested.

Max took a deep breath before turning to face Liz. "Isabel and Alex… they kept a copy of the letter."

"The one from Kyle's grandfather's house?"

He nodded.

"Okay, why is that a problem?" She could understand why Isabel had kept it; the letter could be a link to their past.

"We agreed that we wouldn't look any further into it," Max grumbled, visibly unhappy with his sister's decision to keep the damn letter.

"Max, we were both at the same meeting about the letter, but your version is slightly different than mine; there was no agreement to drop the investigation into the letter. You decided for everyone involved and you didn't even stop to consider your sister's feelings or opinions on the subject," Liz objected gently.

"Because she wanted to pursue something that could put all of us in danger." He shook his head as he studied her expression and after a moment he backed away from her. "You knew!" he accused.

"Knew what?" she asked, confusion coloring her voice.

"You knew they were still working on it."

"No, I didn't know." She held her right hand up before he could speak again. "I suspected that they might be working on it – "

"And you didn't tell me?" he demanded angrily.

"She has as much right to look for answers as you do, Max," Liz said. She had to side with Isabel on this one; she had a right to know the truth.

"I know that," he admitted grudgingly.

She put her hand on his arm, trying to get him to calm down. "Do you? Because you seemed perfectly content when you made the decision to destroy the letter and you didn't seem terribly concerned about her opinion."

"Well…" Max shoved his hands in his pockets as he considered what she was saying. "No, I wasn't concerned about her opinion because she's thinking with emotionally instead of rationally. You can't just go talk to someone we don't know and have them translate a letter that could potentially reveal who and what we are!"

"They found a code talker?" Liz asked, surprised.

Max laughed darkly. "Oh, yeah, they found one… found one and drove all the way to Arizona to meet with him in person yesterday. Got back last night with the letter all translated. I came back from my grandparents' place with my mom this morning to find out about the letter and to find out that my parents have been aware of Isabel's search for our biological parents for a while now. Oh, and the real kicker? My parents know we're different… they've known all along," he ranted, clearly starting to lose his legendary calm.

Liz stared at him, shocked. _No wonder he was so agitated!_ The question was, which one of those pieces of information should she try to tackle first? "How do you feel about your parents knowing? That's gotta be a relief, right?"

Max looked at her, his eyes filled with horror. "No! It's not a relief! It just means that they're even more at-risk than I thought they were!"

"Max…" Liz sat down and motioned for him to join her, taking his hand once he was sitting beside her. "Max, isn't it better that they know?"

"How can you say that?" _It was a disaster! What if someone used his parents' knowledge against them? What if someone used his parents' love for their children against them?_ All of those thoughts were rushing through his mind, leaving him feeling scared and lost. The world had changed and he didn't know how to face this new one.

Liz spoke quietly, trying not to agitate him any further. She had never seen Max so upset before now and his reaction was unsettling her, too. "They've protected you all your life, not only because they're your parents and they love you, but because they know… do they know _how_ you're different?"

Max shook his head. "They don't know about the alien thing; they just think we have some sort of special abilities that make us different from everyone else."

"Okay, well, the fact is they've protected you from being discovered… maybe it's a good thing that they know. Now you know that they love you and you don't have to worry about their reaction to knowing that you're not exactly the same as everyone else. And, there's also the advantage of them being aware of your differences and not accidentally revealing your secret."

"No, because Isabel could've already done that!" he snapped.

"Max, first off, she went to talk to a Navajo code talker… Native Americans are notoriously suspicious of the government and it's not likely that this man would take whatever information was in the letter and go running to some government official. And second, what exactly did they find out?"

She listened as Max went over the information that Isabel had passed on to him that morning and as he reached the end of his narrative she shook her head. He had gotten up at some point and started pacing restlessly and as he finished he leaned back against one of the short walls that surrounded the balcony and looked at her.

"What?"

Liz shook her head. "Max, it sounds like they covered all the bases to me; the man believed they were there for a school project and that the letter was just something that had belonged to a friend's grandfather. He thinks it had something to do with a novel, it's nothing more serious than that. Not to mention the possibilities!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Max, we know that there could be two more people out there who're like you! Two more children abandoned in the desert at the same time and that means that most likely their rescue would've made the papers somewhere."

_Maybe she was right,_ he mused. _Maybe it was something that could work to their advantage and allow them to find the others who were like them. Was he ready for that?_ "What about the fifth alien? The one that Atherton was afraid of? We don't know where he went, how we got separated from him… if what the letter said is correct."

"Do you want to find out?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly.

Liz moved to stand in front of him so she could hug him tightly for a few moments. She leaned back to look up at him, seeing the confusion and indecision in his eyes. "Alright, why don't we start with getting together with Alex and Isabel? Let's get their opinions on it and discuss it openly – not with you making the decision for everyone – and figure out what to do."

He nodded slowly.

"Is Isabel at home?"

"No, she left the house before I did."

"Then she's probably with Alex; I'll call them and ask them to come over, okay? My parents won't be back for a couple of hours so we have plenty of time to talk without worrying about them interrupting us."

Max watched her as she went back inside through the window to get her cell phone and make the call to Alex. There was a part of him that was curious, but there was another part that was terrified of searching for the others and he didn't know which path was the right one to follow.

*****

Maria walked into her bedroom and closed the door, leaning back against it and heaving a sigh of relief. _Well,_ she mused, _she had survived dinner with her mom's boyfriend and lived to tell about it._ She had said her goodnights and left them alone when it became apparent that they wanted to spend some time alone and while she was adjusting to this new change she wasn't ready to see her mom making out with the guy. She made a face and shook her head. "I'll never be ready for that," she muttered.

Her gaze moved to the phone sitting on her nightstand and she paused before picking it up. A few months ago she would have been running to get to the phone so she could call Liz and spill the entire story and afterwards she would have called Alex. Now, that wasn't even a possibility and while she loved talking to Michael and sharing things with him, she couldn't help but miss that bond she had shared with her friends. She went to get the phone and punched in his number as she sat down and leaned back against the headboard.

She smiled when she heard his gruff tone as he vocalized a greeting. "Hey, it's me."

Michael refrained from telling her that he had known it was her and instead moved on to the reason for her call. "So, how's the boyfriend?"

"He's okay… he's nice… patient… asked my mom if he could take me outside to talk earlier."

"Uh-huh, because you were doin' what?" he asked, amused. He recognized that move as one his own father had made before.

"I might… _might_," she stressed the word, "have been a little… unreceptive."

"I'll bet there was no might about it," he teased. "So, what was he like?"

"Actually, I was gonna ask you what you think of him."

Michael frowned, wondering why she would ask him that. "Why? I didn't meet him."

"He lives on the Rez, and your parents said he's a local artist; they have some of his sculptures. He's the guy I was teasing you about on Thanksgiving, remember? Gabriel."

Michael's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, wow, talk about a small world. Yeah, I know him; he kinda gave me one of my first paid jobs. Takin' pictures of his art for his website."

"What do you think of him?"

"Gabriel's pretty cool." He scratched his eyebrow as he leaned back in his desk chair. "Isn't he kinda young though?"

"Are you sayin' my mom's old?"

"No, and we're not gonna get in a stupid argument so you can avoid the subject."

Maria sighed when he called her out. "He is kinda young; he's like ten years younger than her, which is a little weird. But, he did seem pretty nice. I guess it's just gonna take some time to get used to this change. I'm gonna have to get used to him because it doesn't look like he's plannin' to go anywhere." She fell silent for several minutes, taking comfort from her equally silent boyfriend. "Know what would make me feel better?" she asked finally.

"No, but I'm sure you're gonna tell me," he answered, sensing a trap.

"You can tell me the meaning behind your nickname, Magnum."

He smiled. _Um-hmm, he knew it! That's okay, two could play at this game._ "That's all it'd take, huh?"

"Yep, that's all it'd take."

He was silent for a few beats and then he made a sound of agreement. "Okay."

Maria sat up straight and nearly dropped her phone. "What? Really? You're gonna tell me?"

"I am, yup." Another pause. "Just as soon as you tell me your middle name."

_Yeah, because that had a chance of happening in this lifetime! She'd rather die than reveal the embarrassment her mother had saddled her with._ "You are sneaky and mean, Michael Guerin!" she pouted. She could just imagine the royal laughing fit he'd have if she ever revealed her middle name!

"Maybe, but you love me anyway."

_So much for trying to be mad at him,_ she thought, shaking her head. His tone was smug and confident, and she suddenly realized he was waiting for her to speak. "You're right, I do love you… even if you won't tell me why your nickname is such a big secret."

"Same reason you won't tell me your middle name." He grinned suddenly. "Maybe I'll just ask your mom… I'll bet she'd tell me."

"Go ahead," she dared him. "And I'll tell her that you had your hand under my shirt while we were out at your house on Saturday."

Michael snorted in disbelief. "You wouldn't tell her that."

"Don't think so? Trust me, I'd only get a lecture, but you?" She laughed. "You might not survive my mother's wrath if she thinks you've taken any opportunity to take advantage of my innocence."

He nearly choked when she said that. "Your innocence?" he repeated. "Your mother does not know just how… how… _not_ innocent you are!"

Maria grinned at his indignant tone. "And we wanna keep it that way, don't we?"

He was conceding the point on this one. "Fine, we keep middle names and meanings of nicknames secret for now."

They talked for a little while longer before saying goodnight and disconnecting. They both had school the next day and while her mother was otherwise occupied, she could hear his mother asking if all of his homework was finished. She was smiling as she placed her phone back on the nightstand and stretched out to stare up at the ceiling.


	85. Chapter 84

**Part 84**

Alex was pleasantly surprised to see Isabel sitting on the porch swing when he pulled into his driveway on Sunday afternoon. He had spent most of the day catching up with his friends and running through some new material they had been working on before the holiday break. He hadn't expected to see Isabel until the next day when school started up again; the most he had been hoping for was a phone call letting him know how things had gone with her brother.

"Hey, Iz," he greeted as he stepped up on the porch.

"Where have you been?" she demanded. "I didn't think you were ever gonna come back!"

He barely had time to register the fact that her tone was impatient and not angry before he suddenly found himself wrapped in an enthusiastic hug. "So, Max took the news well?" he asked as he looped his arms around her loosely.

"No, Max is mad," she said as she leaned back and brought her hands up to rest on his shoulders. "My parents know we're different, Alex!"

"Wait, so you told them?"

"No, they've known all along. I mean, they don't know _how_ we're different, but they know we're not like everyone else and they still love us!"

Alex smiled at the happiness that was shining so brightly in her dark eyes. He knew that it was something that she had agonized over, worrying that her parents wouldn't be able to see past the fact that their children weren't like other children if the truth ever came out.

"It doesn't even matter to them, Alex!"

"How could it? Your differences just make you that much more precious; your parents know that." His right hand came up to cradle her cheek as he met her gaze directly. "You're satisfied?"

Isabel nodded, understanding what he was asking. "If it ever becomes necessary to explain how we're different they'll be able to handle it," she said confidently.

"I'm very happy for you, Isabel."

She shook her head. "I couldn't have done any of this without your help. Thank you," she said sincerely.

"Anytime." He knew the exact moment she realized that they were standing so close together and he bit back the sigh of regret when she quickly moved back away from him. _You've got to take it slow,_ he reminded himself, sensing the tension settling over her. _Let her come to you._ "Hey, you wanna take a look at our project? I worked on it while you were visiting your grandparents."

Isabel relaxed when he acted normally and didn't mention the uncomfortable moment. "Yeah, I'd love to see it."

In his room Alex turned the power on to both computers and sat down in one of the desk chairs while he waited for the systems to run through the startup process. He reached for the three-ring binder leaning against the monitor on his right side and opened it up, flipping through half a dozen tabs before holding it out to Isabel.

"You did all this over a couple of days?" she asked, pulling the other chair closer and sitting down. Isabel flipped through the pages, impressed with the way he had assembled the information. "Alex, this is amazing."

"Yeah?" He leaned closer, selected one of the tabs and turned to that section. "Check this out."

Her fingers traced over the plastic sleeve that held one of the papers she had written at his request. Since their research into the letter had forced them to come up with a plausible cover story and Mr. Tate had agreed to let them present the portfolio for extra credit they had divided the work up and decided to write several short papers apiece.

"I had an idea for the end of the portfolio," she offered hesitantly. "Something to give it a personal touch."

"What's your idea?" he asked, genuinely interested; it was the first time she had offered a suggestion since they had started their research.

"Well, we've done sections on the war itself, the soldiers, the women overseas and at home, the code talkers, and the politics of the time, right? So, I thought we could end it with a section where we do an interview with someone we know who lived during that time."

"You've got someone in mind?"

"My granddad was in the army and I'm sure he'd agree to an interview if I asked him."

Alex didn't doubt that. "That would wrap the portfolio up nicely," he agreed. "I'll have to do some diggin' on my end, but a personal touch would give it the perfect ending."

"When we first started working on this I didn't really understand why you insisted on doing so much research and putting so much work into it, but…" She nodded. "I'm glad we did it the way you suggested, and not just because it's made a good cover story. I never really expected to enjoy working with you."

He smiled at her, understanding what she was trying to explain. "I'll be sorry to see our project come to an end," he admitted.

Isabel felt the same way but she wasn't sure how to put it into words and relief washed over her when his cell phone rang and interrupted them. She had been on the verge of leaning into him on the porch and she had a feeling if she hadn't caught herself she would have kissed him. She wasn't sure how to feel about that or how to act; he was a perfect gentleman and she knew he wouldn't push her for answers, but he was probably confused as well, and she owed him an explanation.

"That was Liz," he said as he pocketed his phone. "She and Max would like for us to come over to her place so we can all talk."

"Why? So he can tell us that we're not allowed to look for leads into the other children left in the desert?"

"Hey, we can't go over there with that attitude or we're only gonna end up arguing with them. I think we've already proven that we don't need your brother's approval or his permission to conduct our own investigation." He reached out without thinking, covering her hands where they were knotted on the binder in her lap. "We should at least hear them out and try to convince them that further investigation needs to be done."

"And if they won't listen?"

Alex laughed. "Then they don't have to be part of our investigation."

Isabel looked up at him and smiled in response to his remark. He meant every word of it and she knew she hadn't done anything to deserve his unwavering support or his loyalty, and he gave both without expecting anything in return.

"Thank you, Alex," she said, turning her right hand over under his and linking their fingers together.

"You're welcome, Isabel." He winked at her as he lifted their joined hands and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "C'mon, let's go see how much work we're gonna have to put into our argument in favor of pursuing our investigation."

Isabel placed the binder back in its place on his desk and then followed him out of the room, surprised when he didn't ask for an explanation of her earlier behavior. He was stronger than most people gave him credit for, he was intelligent, he was caring, and she knew he would do anything that she asked, and she vowed to never take advantage of his feelings for her. She knew they existed; she would have to be deaf and blind to not know about them, but he had never pushed himself on her, never asked for anything she wasn't ready and willing to give, and he had offered her his friendship and his help freely with the knowledge that she would never return his feelings.

Who knew that Alex Whitman would turn out to be the one guy in Roswell who would not only see her for who she was, but would care about her without expecting anything in return? He had shocked and surprised her from the very beginning, he had always been honest with her even though there were a few times that she would have been happy if he had kept his opinions to himself, and he had made it a point to be her personal champion. She couldn't have asked for a better friend than him and if one day it happened to lead to something more, maybe that would be okay, too.

*****

Liz opened the door to the Crashdown and motioned for Alex and Isabel to come inside and she locked the door behind them. Her parents only kept the place open until early afternoon on Sundays to give them a bit of a break.

"Where's Max?" Isabel asked as they all sat down in one of the booths near the back of the restaurant.

"He's in the kitchen getting a bottle of water. Look, before he comes back out here, you guys should probably know that – "

"That he's not happy with me?"

Alex reached out and placed a calming hand on Isabel's forearm when she interrupted before Liz could finish saying what she had started to say. "We're gonna stay calm," he reminded her.

"I'm perfectly calm," she insisted.

"Well, that makes one of us," Max said as he overheard his sister's comment. He sat down next to Liz when she motioned for him to join her. "I just think it's interesting that someone who doesn't want to be discovered, is afraid of the very thought itself even, went out and approached a complete stranger for information that could put us in danger."

"We were very careful to cover our tracks when we approached Robert," Alex said before Isabel had the chance to get defensive and go on the attack.

"Going to see him should have been something that we discussed before you did it."

"Why?" she challenged.

"So we could make a joint decision before you undertook your little mission."

"So _you_ could lord over me and tell me that there would be no talk with him." Her dark eyes were mutinous. "You don't get to make all of the decisions, Max."

"Okay," Liz said before they could continue with their argument, "look, this is getting out of hand and there's no need for it. Why don't we focus on what you learned instead of who was right and who was wrong?"

"He was wrong."

"She was wrong."

The siblings glared at each other from opposite sides of the table as they each declared that the other one had been wrong. Their postures were similar, the stubborn expressions alike, both refused to admit to being wrong, and Liz and Alex shook their heads as they exchanged a look.

"Maybe we can just deal with the issue before the two of you go into alien battle mode and start smashin' the place up," Alex said, hoping to break the glacial freeze that was settling over them. _Yeah, that wasn't working._ "Max, you didn't wanna pursue the letter and you made your feelings on it quite clear, but you have to see the flipside of that coin; Isabel has just as much right to pursue the letter as you had to ignore its existence."

"Do not defend her behavior to me – "

"Defending her behavior would imply that I think she was wrong for taking the action that she chose to take." He shook his head. "No, what I'm defending is her right to take that action in the first place."

"That letter didn't only affect you, Max," Isabel insisted.

"No, and the same is true for you. Fine, I made the decision to destroy it without your approval, but at least what I did wasn't gonna come back and cause problems for us," Max argued.

"How does knowing that there are others like us cause a problem?"

"Because we don't know anything about them! We have no idea who they are, what they know – "

"But we can find those things out," she said, a hint of excitement underlying her tone. "Alex and I have already talked about it and we can search for them, probably even find them. They probably have just as many questions as we do… or maybe they know some of the answers. Either way it's gotta be worth checking it out."

"And that fifth alien you mentioned? Nacedo? The guy sounded like he had other plans for us… plans that I'm not interested in."

Isabel shook her head. "Well, I'm not interested in that either; I have my own life to live, but what about the others? We don't know what happened to him, but if we were left in the desert then he must have left or something must have happened to him that kept him from watching over us. Regardless, there are two others out there who are like us and I want to find them."

Max glanced between his sister and Alex and he knew without waiting for verification that the guy would be helping her look for the others. "Does it matter to you that I want you to drop this?"

"Yes, Max, believe it or not, it does matter to me. But, I think we need to follow this through and find out where it leads."

"Max, I know you're probably not very interested in my opinion since right now you're only seein' me as the guy that helped your sister search for information without your approval," Alex started. "The truth is that these others may or may not know anything about your past and yeah, it's a risk, but, don't you wanna know?"

_And wasn't that the question of the day?_ Max wondered. "It could be dangerous."

"Then wouldn't it be better for us to pursue it as a united group?"

"It would be better to drop it."

Alex nodded. "Okay, we could drop it," he said agreeably, holding a hand up when Isabel started to protest. "But, what if these others are lookin' for answers, too? What if they're lookin' for answers and they're not as careful as we've been? They could jeopardize your safety by searchin' for clues, by askin' the wrong questions… wouldn't it be better to be ahead of the game?"

"Alex makes a very good point, Max," Liz spoke up. She reached over to take his hand, drawing his gaze to her. "It would be better to have that advantage."

Max considered what she was saying as he stared at the table. "Okay, but, if we're gonna do this then we need to do it as a team."

"That makes good sense," Alex said.

"We've already started creating a list of possible research options," Isabel joined in. "We could divide them up and you guys can take the newspaper research and we'll handle the online research."

Alex hid a smile when Isabel quickly – and so generously – offered to let Max and Liz take the library option. The old newspapers would be archived in the basement, which meant lots of dust and he knew she would avoid that if at all possible.

"Okay, I guess we can do that," Max said slowly.

"The research isn't as bad as it sounds," Isabel assured him. "We did a lot of research when we were looking into the code talker, so I know from experience that you'll probably enjoy it."

Max barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. "I've done research before, Isabel."

She shrugged, ignoring his patronizing tone. She was getting her way and as long as things stayed that way she was perfectly content to let his attitude slide by without challenge.

Alex hid a smile as Isabel practically preened beside him. "We can divide the research up that way and it'll really help move it along. I know some of the older stuff in the research department of the library has been converted over to microfiche, but a lot of it's still gonna be the physical newspapers because their budget just didn't cover as much as they had hoped it would."

Liz picked up the conversation from that point. "So, for now we're just looking for anything related to children being found in the desert around 12 years ago, right?"

"Um-hmm, and from there we'll be able to follow the research, find out who they are, where they were placed…" Excitement shone in his eyes and it was evident in his voice as he laid out their plan of action for locating the two others that had been abandoned in the desert with Isabel and Max.

By the time they separated and left Max and Liz alone at the Crashdown the four of them had come to an agreement about the research and everyone was a little more comfortable with the new developments that had recently occurred.


	86. Chapter 85

**Part 85**

Michael was in the front yard tossing a ball back and forth to his cousin Joey when Maria pulled into the driveway on Saturday afternoon. Joey ran to the car and he gathered her up in a bone-crushing bear hug before Michael could stop him.

"Gentle, gentle, gentle, Mighty Joe!" Maria wheezed out, relieved when the band of pressure began to ease as he relaxed his hold.

"Joey, what'd I tell you about just grabbin' people like that?" Michael demanded as he joined them. He turned his attention to his girlfriend when his cousin let her go and she took a couple of stumbling steps backwards as she straightened her clothes. "You okay?"

"It's okay, Michael, I'm fine." It was quite possible her lungs needed to be re-inflated or something, but she would survive Joey's enthusiastic hug.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Joey mumbled. "I didn't mean to… I forgot."

Michael reached out to his cousin, resting his hand on Joey's shoulder when Maria nodded to let him know she was okay.

"It's okay, buddy," Michael assured him. "You've just gotta remember to be a little more careful."

"Santa's still comin' to my house?"

Maria bit back a smile as she watched her boyfriend carry on a serious conversation about Santa Claus. Christmas was just a few weeks away and it was pretty obvious that Joey believed in the jolly old elf.

"Joey, you 'bout ready to go, Son?"

They looked up when Elijah stepped out on the porch with Michael's father and Joey ran up to his father, his awkward gait almost unnoticeable in the face of his excitement. The man smiled with fatherly pride as he listened to his son talk a mile a minute, telling him all about Santa's upcoming visit. He settled his hat on his head and waved to his brother and nephew as he steered his boy to his truck and they took their leave.

John walked down to join his son and Maria where they were leaning against her car. "You two headin' into town?"

"Yeah, Maria's gonna help me pick out Joey's Christmas present."

"And here I thought you asked me out because you wanted to spend time with me," Maria teased as she shoved Michael with her shoulder. "You didn't say anything about us going shopping."

Michael frowned at her obvious misinterpretation of his words. "I haven't said anything about us goin' shoppin' and you can just about bet the bank that you'll never hear those words come out of my mouth."

"That's what you think, Son," John said, squeezing his son's shoulder before walking back up to the house. "You two behave yourselves today. And, Michael, don't forget that you and Maggie are fendin' for yourselves tonight since your mom and I are both workin' overnight."

"Got it, Dad."

"So, how exactly are we picking out a Christmas present, but not going shopping?" Maria asked curiously.

Michael smirked. "Just wait an' see." He pushed away from the side of the car and turned to pull her into his arms. "You don't have to go home too early, do you?"

"No, why?" she asked, framing his face in her hands as she leaned in to kiss him.

"Gotta surprise for you, but we've gotta go into Alamogordo for it an' it's about a three hour drive, round trip."

Maria shivered when his right hand slid under her shirt, his calloused palm brushing against her skin as it followed her waistline to settle on her lower back. "A surprise, huh?"

"Um-hmm," he mumbled when she leaned into him and he deepened the kiss. He would have been perfectly content to stay right there but his sister chose that moment to come out of the house, letting the screen door slam shut behind her.

"Better cool it, you two," she called, waving as she ran down the driveway where Linda was just pulling up. "Mom's on her way out. Oh, and Michael, don't forget that dinner's on you tonight!"

He rolled his eyes and looked down at Maria. "We want to keep any conversation with my mom to a minimum today."

"What's up?" Maria asked, sensing something was going on.

"She's on the warpath about college again an' she's not leavin' for work for a couple more hours, so…"

"Michael, do you have a few minutes?" Catherine called as she stepped out on the front porch. "Oh, Maria, I didn't know you were already here."

Maria's gaze locked on him for several long moments before turning to look at his mother. "Hi, Catherine. Yeah, I got here a little early since Michael needs some help picking out a Christmas present and he also has a surprise for me… I just couldn't wait any longer, so I hope you don't mind if I steal him away from you today."

Catherine sighed, sensing a conspiracy between the teenagers. "Very well, I suppose it can wait another day." Her gaze traveled over them and she shook her head. "The two of you enjoy yourselves then, and be careful while you're out today."

Michael relaxed slightly and pulled Maria into a hug. "Thanks."

She laughed and gave him a shove. "Forget the thanks, Guerin… you said you had a surprise for me, so let's get a move on."

He laughed and kissed her quickly before releasing her and taking a step back. "Let me go grab a jacket and we'll go."

Maria watched him run into the house and shook her head. She wondered what kind of gift they were picking out but not shopping for, and more important… what was the surprise?

*****

The Roswell public library wasn't large by any means, but it housed a decent collection of written works and Alex, Liz, and Max were quite comfortable in their surroundings as they meandered through the aisles on their way back to the single computer that sat on the surface of the old card catalog. Even though the library was small, it hadn't been completely converted so that all of the books on site were listed in the computer. The filing system was more accurate in the card catalog, an old wooden filing cabinet with small drawers filled with yellowing index cards covered with old typewriter ink from their original addition to the file.

Isabel glanced around trying to remember the last time she had actually been in the public library and she drew a complete blank. Any reference material she and Alex had needed had been picked up at the school library; a much more up-to-date and modern facility that was filled with wonderful things like computers and the Internet for researching. She was certain that Internet access was non-existent here and the woman shuffling around with her little cart, putting a handful of books back on the shelves, appeared to be nearly as old as the library itself.

She automatically turned to follow Alex when he headed for the ancient card catalog filing cabinet, leaving Max and Liz to go in search of the librarian to request access to the archives in the basement. She watched him as he typed in the key words into the computer and she frowned at the screen with its slowly blinking cursor and fuzzy green letters. _The computer had to be at least twenty years old,_ she thought as she looked at it.

"I don't think I'm gonna be any help here," she admitted quietly.

He looked up at her while the old computer attempted to retrieve his requested information. "Why not?"

"I don't know what I'm looking for here."

Alex glanced back at the computer when it kicked out the expected 'not found' message. He stepped back and motioned to the dozens of tiny drawers in the front of the cabinet and he ran his finger down until he located the one he wanted. He pulled it out, flipped through the cards and then grabbed one of the little squares of paper and a stubby pencil in a bin on top of the cabinet, scribbling down a series of numbers and a title before handing it to Isabel.

"Check the reference section for this book; it'll be oversized, so…" He trailed off when she just stared at the piece of paper. "What's the matter?"

"What am I looking for?"

"You're funny, Isabel." He shook his head. "The reference section is on the far wall across from the check-out counter, just look it up by the numbers." He suddenly realized that she wasn't kidding when she took a step back and frowned at him with just a hint of insult in her expression. "The numbers on the book binders? The Dewey decimal system?" He controlled his laughter and settled for a teasing smile instead. "How do you not know how to look up a library book?" _Because she's used to someone running and fetching things for her,_ he reminded himself. He nodded as he took her arm and steered her towards the reference section. "Let me introduce you to the wonderful world of actual, physical research."

"I thought we were going to do our part on the computer," she complained.

"This library's as old as the hills; we're lucky it's open on a Saturday."

"Yes, I'm feeling sooo lucky right now."

He just grinned at her sarcasm and shook his head. "We can always catch a movie later this evening."

"Fine, but I'm picking it and you don't get to complain."

Alex shook his head. _Why would he complain? She just agreed to go to a movie with him! _"Okay, Isabel Evans, meet the reference section of the Roswell Public Library," he said, motioning to the less than impressive wall lined with shelves that sagged under the weight of the oversized books.

*****

Max and Liz followed the old librarian down into the basement to a large room that was fairly modern in comparison to the rest of the building. She showed them where to find the hard copy newspapers from years before, the cabinet containing the small, rectangular plastic sheets that held the microfiche, and lastly, the ancient microfiche reader. Once she was satisfied that they knew where everything was she went back up to the first level of the library and left them to their research.

The fluorescent lights overhead provided little lighting since half of them were burnt out, several others were blinking sporadically, and only two were actually working.

"I guess I can start with the newspapers," Max offered as he looked at the mountain of disorganized papers.

"I'll get to work with the microfiche. Maybe we'll get lucky and find what we're looking for and you won't have to pick through that pile of old papers too long."

"What exactly are Alex and Isabel looking for upstairs?"

"There were a couple of books put together a few years ago that highlighted some of the history of Roswell. It's a long shot, but, there could be something there."

Max pulled down a heavy stack of the newspapers and carried them over to the table in the center of the room, carefully placing them on the surface and waving his hand in front of him when a cloud of dust rose from the stack. He flipped through them, checking the dates in the top right corner of them before turning and going back for another stack.

Liz browsed through the card catalog that referenced the microfiche stored in another cabinet, and she sighed when she noticed that the years didn't appear to be consecutive. "Oh, this's gonna take a while," she said, pulling the first drawer out and carrying it over to the table where the light was better.

"You'd think they'd do a little more to get their reference material up to date."

"Well, if nothing else, they could invest in more lights." Her head shot up when the room was suddenly brightly lit and she shook her head as she glanced at Max; his right hand was covering the light switch on the wall and all of the bulbs overhead shone brightly. "I know there aren't any cameras down here and chances are that no one's gonna come down here, but that's probably not very safe."

Max shrugged and his eyes followed the lights as he let several of them dim out again, leaving just a couple over the table burning brightly. "How about that?"

Liz smiled at him and nodded. "That'll work. Thank you."

He returned her smile and lowered his hand before moving back to the mountain of papers and gathering up another stack.


	87. Chapter 86

**Part 86**

Maria looked around when they took an exit off of the highway and she noticed the sign off to the side of the road. As the miles passed by the signs became more frequent and her suspicions were confirmed when they took another turn. "Um, Michael?"

"Um-hmm?"

"Are we going to the zoo?"

Michael glanced at her and one eyebrow cocked with a hint of sarcasm. "Did the big sign that said 'Welcome to the Alameda Park Zoo' give it away?"

She leaned over to slap his arm when he gave her that infuriating smirk, but before long she was practically bouncing in her seat. "I've never been to the zoo," she admitted as he parked and she was so busy looking around that she didn't notice his expression.

Michael mentally rearranged their day; that bit of information was something he had been unaware of and now he knew they wouldn't be making a short visit and then leaving. He supposed there were just some things that he took for granted, and trips to the zoo when he was little was one of those things. He checked his watch, making sure they had plenty of time to make it to pick out Joey's Christmas present, and they stepped out of the truck.

Maria took Michael's hand as they walked up to the entrance and she waited impatiently while he paid for a couple of tickets and then they stepped through the gates. "What should we see first?" she asked, unable to stand still.

He glanced over the map he had gotten from the ticket counter, scanning over it for the reason for their visit. As soon as he located it he folded the map over so that she couldn't see that part and then held it out for her to look at. "How have you never been to the zoo?" He was still trying to digest that comment.

"What? You've met my mom, Michael; she's not exactly your average, ordinary, everyday mother."

"Well, yeah, I get that." He shrugged. "Just don't get how you've never been to the zoo."

"If you didn't know that, what're we doing here?"

"I guess you've never seen a real tiger if you've never been to the zoo," he said, shifting her attention into a different direction.

"They have tigers?" She latched onto his arm so she could glance over the map he held. "Oh, and lions, too."

Michael just rolled his eyes and allowed her to drag him along on her discovery of the captive animal kingdom.

*****

Alex sighed as he leaned back in one of the chairs and crossed his arms over his chest. They had spent the majority of a perfectly beautiful Saturday afternoon cooped up in the library, helping Max dig through the dusty stacks of newspapers. He and Isabel hadn't had any luck going through the reference material located on the shelves on the ground level and she hadn't been happy with his suggestion that they should go down into the basement to help her brother and Liz.

He was up to paying for dinner as well as the movie – junk food included – since she had been forced to participate in poring through the old papers for nothing. That search hadn't turned up anything either despite the fact that they had gone through every stack of newspapers piled up on the shelves. The microfiche search hadn't fared much better and he glanced around at his companions when he heard the announcement that the library would be closing soon.

"Well, I guess it's time to take a step back and come up with our next plan of action," he said as he stood and stretched.

Max glanced at him, surprised when his tone didn't express the slightest hint of irritation at wasting an entire afternoon or disappointment over not finding anything. "Which would be what, exactly?"

"We widen the search," Isabel answered as she studied her nails, trying to determine if something undesirable had attached itself to her nail while rooting through the filthy papers or if her polish was chipped. _Neither option was acceptable,_ she mused.

"Oh, that's a good idea," Liz said. "Just because you guys were found and picked up in one location doesn't mean that the others couldn't have been taken somewhere else."

"Um-hmm." _What movie should she make Alex sit through?_ she wondered. _It needed to be something appropriate since she had ended up not only getting dirty..._ She glanced down at her pants and shook her head at the dusty smudges all over them. _And she was dirty, there was no denying that. And… yep, that was definitely a chip in the polish._

"We'll probably be able to hit the Internet for that part of the search," Alex said, glancing at Isabel and wondering if she had any idea how cute she was with that big dusty smudge on her right cheek. _Uh-huh, and she'd probably send you into orbit for ever daring to suggest such a thing._ "Maybe you guys could check the papers for cities and towns north and east of Roswell, and Isabel and I can take cities and towns south and west of Roswell? That sound okay to you?"

"That works for me," Max answered as he stood up and held his hand out to Liz.

"Yeah, we'll get started on that this week," Liz agreed. "For now, I'd like to go home and take a hot shower."

"That's actually a very good idea, and one that I agree with." Isabel hurried to make her escape from the confines of the basement storage area, glad to be surfacing to a place where fresh air and daylight welcomed her.

"I guess we'll see you guys later then," Alex said as he followed Isabel. "I'm in big trouble for this afternoon and I've got a feelin' my wallet's gonna feel a severe crunch as punishment."

"I'd be more worried about the movie she's gonna drag you to," Max warned, familiar with his sister's tendency to exact retribution by whatever means possible.

Alex just laughed at the warning. "It won't be that bad." He just nodded when Max shook his head at his obviously naïve response. "We're goin' out in public together and it was her suggestion… I'm already ahead of the game."

Max paused on the steps when Alex ran to catch up with Isabel. "You were right," he mused aloud.

"What?"

"You said she would open up to him and she has. I never would've believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, but, it's true."

Liz just laughed at his incredulous expression. "I told you not to underestimate him." She gave him a shove to get him moving again and as they stepped outside and walked to the jeep she reached out to grab his shirttail. "You do realize that Isabel's got a date for tonight and I haven't been asked out."

"Somebody's slacking then." He turned to open the door for her, waiting for her to settle into the passenger's seat before he spoke again. "Elizabeth Parker, would you have dinner with me?"

She pretended to consider his offer. "I believe I will."

He smiled at her teasing tone and looked up when a horn honked close by and he lifted his hand to wave when Alex drove by. Isabel was talking his ear off about something, but she was smiling when she turned to wave at her brother.

*****

Maria didn't waste much time as they moved through the House of Reptiles and Michael laughed when she declined the opportunity to check out Arachnid-land. Apparently she wasn't interested in checking out the various forms of spiders even though they were safely housed behind glass. They had spent most of the afternoon talking as they wound their way through the wooded paths that led past the larger exhibits and Maria had been excited about all of the animals they had observed during their visit.

"So, tell me what's going on with your mom," Maria said as they walked past a closed exhibit.

"She's just pushin' the college thing again."

"You still haven't told her that you're thinking about not going, have you?"

"No. We're talkin' major disappointment, Maria; she's gonna be impossible to live with once I tell them that I'm not so sure about college."

"Would you rather spend the next four years cooped up on a college campus?" She paused in front of an exhibit and motioned to the gorilla sitting alone in a corner. "As the so-called more evolved species we take these animals from their natural habitats and place them in cages, convince ourselves that they're better off because they're safe from predators and that they're happy and carefree… we say they're better off because we've decided that this life is better for them." She reached up to poke his chest, getting his attention before turning to point at the gorilla. "Sure, he's safe, he's cared for, he has anything he could want, but he has all of that from behind a cage; does he look all that happy to you? Do you want to spend the next four years in a cage? Because I've listened to you talk about college life, Michael, and that's what it's gonna be for you."

Michael stared hard at the gorilla as it got to its feet and lumbered across the ground to find another corner to sit in. "No, that's not what I want."

"Your parents want what's best for you, but they're gonna have to understand that college may not be what's in your best interest. Someday maybe, but not right now. Just talk to them and explain that for right now, it's not something you're ready to commit to."

"Yeah, leavin' it open for the future might be a good position to take." He reached for her hand as they continued along the path, nearing the entrance where they had started their journey several hours before. "Hang a right up here, when we reach the next path."

"Isn't the gate up on the left?"

"We're not leavin' just yet; I brought you here for a reason."

Maria glanced up at him and she shook her head when she saw that he was trying to hide a smile. "What're you planning?" she asked as they turned to go down the path he had pointed out. He motioned to something ahead of them and she turned to follow his pointing finger. There was a large barn that housed a petting zoo, but the corral surrounding the red building was empty. "Michael?"

_This had worked out better than he could have planned,_ he thought. The zoo would be closing for the day soon so the crowds had already started to thin out and now there wasn't a line waiting to get into the petting zoo.

"Well, there're no animals to pet," she grumbled, frowning.

"They moved them to a different area, I think." He nodded when they got closer to the big red barn and the sounds of Christmas music could be heard. "I heard about this the other day and I knew I had to bring you out here."

She was confused. "To a barn with no animals?"

Michael rolled his eyes and moved to step in front of her. "Wait here for just a minute, okay? Let me make sure it's still goin' on."

She nodded, still confused, but allowing him to run ahead to check on whatever the surprise was. She could feel the anticipation building once again when he jogged back out to join her and she knew that whatever the surprise was, it was still on.

"Okay, we're in luck; there's no one ahead of us." He grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him, turning when they reached the entrance and facing her again. "Okay, you've gotta close your eyes."

Maria eyed him suspiciously when she heard a hearty "Ho, ho, ho," from inside the confines of the building. "Michael, did you bring me here to visit Santa Claus?"

"Yeah, Maria, because that's really the kinda thing I'd do," he growled. "Would you just close your eyes?" As soon as she complied he took her hands and led her inside, walking backwards so he could make sure she didn't trip over anything. When he reached the temporary holding area where the surprise awaited he stopped and moved to stand beside her. "Okay, you can open your eyes."

Maria opened her eyes slowly, having no idea what to expect, and her mouth fell open in surprise when she saw the creature standing in front of her. "Oh, my God… it's a…" Her gaze shot to Michael and she smiled at how ridiculously pleased he looked with himself before turning back to the creature staring at her placidly. _It was an honest-to-God reindeer, with the antlers and everything!_

"You said when you were a kid you wanted to see a real one, so…" He trailed off when she suddenly turned and threw herself into his arms, laughing with happiness and joy. "It's no Christmas donkey, but I paid the extra twenty bucks so you could have your picture taken with it."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up as she moved over to stand within touching distance of the large animal and she was reaching out to pet it when she suddenly paused and turned to look at the Santa Claus standing nearby.

"Go right ahead, young lady; she loves the attention."

"She?"

The man chuckled heartily as he nodded. "Males lose their antlers before Christmas comes around and they grow out again the following year."

"But, I thought… aren't all of Santa's reindeer supposed to be males?"

"Okay, okay, let's get on with the picture," Michael interrupted, certain that Maria didn't need anymore ammunition in her 'girl-power' storehouse. He watched as 'Santa' led Maria over to the reindeer that he introduced as Vixen and made introductions between human and animal.

The reindeer made a strange noise that sounded something like a snuffling grunt when Maria reached up to scratch between its eyes.

"She's beautiful," Maria said, giggling when the reindeer nibbled at the hem of her shirt.

The bells on the animal's harness jingled merrily when she shifted and the Santa reached out to straighten the straps before turning to Maria. "Your boyfriend said you've waited a long time to have your picture taken with an actual reindeer."

"Back home they brought in what was supposed to be a reindeer, but was actually a poorly dressed up donkey." She glanced over at Michael and then turned to the Santa. "Can we both be in the picture?"

"No, no, no," Michael denied, waving his hands and shaking his head. "That won't be necessary."

The Santa Clause laughed and motioned for the frowning teenager to join them. "As long as you're both in the same photo, I can do it for the same price."

Maria moved to grab Michael's hand and drag him over to stand beside the animal and she turned to face him. "Like you said, Michael, I've waited a long time for this picture, and you made it happen so I want you to be in it… and try not to glare at the camera."

Michael huffed at the imposition, but he took his place beside the reindeer and placed one hand on her back. He slid his free hand around his girlfriend's waist when she moved to stand in front of him and he felt his facial features relax when she leaned back against him. She was happy and that was what really mattered to him, so he suffered through the indignity of having his picture taken with a reindeer.

"Where would y'all like to have this picture sent once it's been developed?" Santa asked as he stepped back away from his camera.

Michael filled out the form so that the developed photograph would be mailed to Maria's house and then changed his mind and added his address beneath hers. "Make it two copies," he said as he reached for his wallet and added another twenty to the address card before handing it to the man. _It was time to pick up some more odd jobs,_ he thought as he closed his wallet and shoved it back in his pocket.


	88. Chapter 87

**Part 87**

Every Wednesday the school cafeteria served up what they generously referred to as meatloaf with mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, and a roll, and every Wednesday Isabel stuck up her nose and refused to so much as walk by the large room. On this particular Wednesday she found herself facing the doorway to the cafeteria as she tried to get out of the little lunch meeting they had decided to have. She had agreed before the weather had taken a turn and the temperature started to drop, bringing with it icy blasts of cold air.

"Are you preparing yourself for Meatloaf Madness?" Alex asked as he came up behind her.

"I hope you're not implying that I would ever eat that – "

He held up his lunch sack, cutting off her rant against cafeteria food. "C'mon, I'll share."

"What'd you bring?"

He laughed when someone walked out of the cafeteria, the swinging door allowing a whiff of the meat-like substance to fill the air around them and she made a face. "Does it matter?"

"No, I guess not." She huffed in irritation and stepped into the too-warm room when he held the door open.

"If you'll take this to the table I'll get our drinks and meet you there."

Isabel located her brother and Liz with ease and she heaved a put-upon sigh as she made her way over to them. They had claimed a table in no-man's land; four tables in the center that were only ever used by the absolute rejects and social outcasts. The four corners of the room were always divided up the same way – the popular crowd, the jocks, the nerds, and of course the crowd of losers that were left over. No-man's land was for those who didn't fit in anywhere and she knew any lingering doubts about her social status would be erased once she crossed over that line.

Alex was sliding his wallet into his back pocket and leaning over to grab their drinks from the machine's dispenser when the hushed silence around him suddenly registered and he slowly turned around. It hadn't occurred to him that Liz and Max would choose one of the tables in no-man's land. He looked around and realized that half the senior class was just waiting for Isabel to take that step and commit social suicide. He winced when her fingers flexed around the rolled-up top of his lunch sack; Isabel Evans was not a brown-bag kinda girl.

He crossed the room, weaving between tables until he reached her and he quickly went over the options in his head. "What's the worst they can do, Isabel?" he asked as he paused beside her. "Slap a label on you? We both know you're better than that." He moved to walk past her and she fell into step beside him.

"Sorry," Max apologized when his sister and Alex sat down across from them. "We were only thinking that we'd be able to talk more freely if we sat here."

"Well, there's certainly no worry about being overheard sitting in no-man's land," Isabel said, relieved when the hum of conversation around them picked up again. She accepted the drink Alex slid across the table and she offered his lunch sack to him, watching as he unrolled the top and reached inside.

"Have you guys had any luck with your part of the research?" Liz asked.

Isabel turned to answer and realized that both of them were eating the so-called meatloaf and she shuddered in revulsion. "How can you eat that?"

"What's wrong with it?" Max asked as he took another bite.

"I don't know… the fact that whatever it is can't possibly be real meat?"

"We haven't made it very far," Alex said before Isabel had the opportunity to turn the simple conversation into an argument just because she was feeling defensive. "We've only been able to cover a few of the smaller towns within a twenty-mile radius." He unwrapped his sandwich, turkey on wheat, and placed half of it on a napkin before handing it to Isabel. "What about you guys? Any luck?"

Liz shook her head, trying very hard not to stare as Isabel accepted half of Alex's sandwich. Despite her assurances to Max that his sister would be alright with Alex and that the other girl would open up to him, she hadn't expected to see her interact with him like this.

Max hurried to pick the conversation up before his sister noticed that she was the focus of his girlfriend's attention. "About the same, maybe a little less, but so far nothing's stood out as being significant."

"Well, we've only got a couple of weeks before Christmas break and for some reason the teachers always pile on the homework." Alex opened up the small bag of chips and poured half of them on his napkin before handing the remaining chips to Isabel. "Maybe we'll have more luck once we're free for a couple of weeks. We'll have a lot more time for research."

"Yeah," Liz agreed, snapping out of it when her friend kicked her gently under the table. She hadn't meant to stare, hadn't even realized that she was doing it, and she was grateful for the wake-up call before Isabel noticed. "Once we get past all of the tests and stuff before Christmas break we'll have more time to really concentrate on our research.

"I haven't had time to do much of anything for the past few days," Max admitted. "I've been swamped with homework."

"I wish Christmas would hurry up and get here," Isabel muttered as she shook hot sauce out over the lunchmeat before putting the sandwich back together and taking a bite. "I want to get back to really looking into this."

Alex took a drink of his soda before setting it aside. "I've got free time this weekend; maybe we could head out to one of the larger cities and use their resources."

Liz nodded. "Oh, that's a good idea. I'm sure I can switch shifts with somebody so I can have the day free."

They spent the rest of the lunch hour making plans, never suspecting that their plans for a day of research would be derailed by an unexpected event on Friday night.

*****

The news of the bright flash of light over Frasier Woods swept through the small town with the same speed that a wildfire would make its way through a field that hadn't seen rain in months. Most of the residents gossiped about it and went on their way, business owners were more excited, anticipating the rush of alien-enthusiast tourists who would flood the town over the next few weeks and push sales through the roof. The sheriff was less than excited at the prospect of the crowds that would swamp the area and overrun the woods, trampling over everything in sight in order to find proof of something that didn't exist. For him it was an inconvenience that his small department was stretched too thin to handle adequately and while economically he knew it was a good thing, he hated the insanity that always followed one of the so-called sightings.

Maria was picking up her check from the Crashdown on Friday afternoon when she heard the excited voices of a group of customers talking about the sighting and for the first time that she could remember she found herself listening to the gossip with interest. Before meeting Michael she had always ignored such rumors, giving them little thought beyond what it meant to her nightly tips, but now she had reason to listen.

She stepped outside with her keys in hand as she made her way to her car, and the flurry of activity across the street immediately caught her attention. The excitable, strange man who owned and operated the UFO Center was running back and forth between the building and a raggedy truck that he was frenetically packing with all sorts of strange equipment.

She barely spared a glance at Max and Isabel as they hurried past her and into the Crashdown where she knew Liz and Alex were sitting in the back booth most likely waiting for them. She wondered if Michael had heard about the sighting yet and decided that she needed to call him and let him know. In less than 24 hours the woods would be crawling with people seeking proof of alien life and she knew from experience that it would be several weeks before the hype died down and life went back to what passed for normal in Roswell.

*****

Max and Isabel sat down in the back booth across from Liz and Alex and for a moment they all just stared at each other. There was a feeling of excitement surrounding them but it was also laced with just the slightest bit of hesitation. News of the sighting had caused them to change their original plans for the evening and brought them together; now they had to decide what they were going to do.

"So, what do we do?" Isabel asked.

"What do you wanna do?" Alex countered, glancing between her and Max. "The news of the sighting has more than likely already hit the Internet, so it's only a matter of time before the area is packed with tourists and people looking for the origin of that flash of light."

"So, what you're saying is if we want to look into this we need to do it quickly," Max said as he tapped the side of his thumb against the table.

Liz nodded. "It would be best to look into it quickly. If it's real the tourists will trample any possible clues or evidence in no time."

Isabel looked at Alex, surprised to realize that she was looking for reassurance from him. "We don't even know what we're looking for."

Alex shifted, stretching his right leg out so that it was resting against hers under the table and out of sight. "No, we don't know what we're lookin' for, not yet at least, but for all we know you could sense somethin' while we're out there."

"But Frasier Woods is big; how will we even know where to start?" she asked.

"We'll check the 'net first. Chances are good that we can cross-reference a handful of the sites and we'll be able to get an idea of the area we need to search."

"Okay…" Max looked around at the others. "So, we're really doing this?"

"We're doing this," Isabel said, nodding. "Alex and I can get the location of the sighting while you fill the jeep up and we'll meet over at his house in an hour."

As soon as they had agreed on a plan of action the group quickly separated and went to take care of things so they could get their search underway.

*****

Dinner had just ended when the phone rang and Maggie answered it, announcing that Maria was on the other end. Michael was outside talking to Eddie but he ended the conversation in favor of going inside to talk to his girlfriend. It was one of the shortest talks they had ever had and after promising to call her back he hung up and hurried to his room where he quickly pulled up the sites he used to track sightings.

His eyes widened when he discovered multiple confirmations and he grabbed his notebook and started scribbling down coordinates and other information.

Maggie and Eddie entered his room a short while later, glancing at each other when they saw him packing things into a bag.

"What's goin' on?" Eddie asked, certain that he already knew because he recognized his friend's hurried behavior.

"Sighting in Frasier Woods outside of Roswell," he answered shortly. He shoved his notebook into the small bag he was filling and he glanced at Eddie. "Got time to chase it?"

Eddie had been working out of town since he couldn't find decent employment locally and a lot of time that meant being gone for several months at a time. He could see the light of excitement in Michael's eyes and he immediately nodded, ignoring the fact that he was tired.

"I wanna go!" Maggie insisted.

"Go where?" Catherine asked as she passed her son's bedroom.

"Michael's chasing a sighting near Roswell and for once I'd like to go."

Michael bit his bottom lip as he glanced between his sister and his mother. "She can go if it's okay with you, Mom."

"Please, Mom?" Maggie begged. She had never been allowed him to go with him on one of his chases and she really wanted to know what it was like.

"Let the girl go, Cath," John said as he joined them. "She'll be with her brother and Eddie; she'll be fine."

"We've gotta get goin', Mom," Michael said, his tone edging towards impatience. They were losing precious time by standing around talking; it wouldn't take long before the woods were crawling with people, which meant local law enforcement being around as they tried to contain the situation.

"Alright, but I'll expect to hear from you to let us know what's going on."

Eddie held his cell phone up. "We'll keep in contact, Catherine."

Michael rolled his eyes as he finished getting his things together and they all hurried out to Eddie's truck and piled inside. Maria was waiting for them at her house and they would swing by and pick her up before heading out to Frasier Woods.


	89. Chapter 88

**Part 88**

Darkness was rapidly falling over Fraiser Woods as Max paused and looked around uncertainly. "Are you sure we're goin' in the right direction?" he asked. "It feels like we're walkin' in circles."

"We're not walkin' in circles," Alex assured him.

"How do you know?"

"Max, would you just keep walking in the direction that Alex told you to take," Isabel huffed, annoyed by his questions. Her nerves were stretched thin from the tension that had taken up residence in her body and she just wanted this to be over. "We're close, aren't we?"

Alex nodded and turned on the small flashlight he was carrying, waving it over the map in his other hand. "We can't be more than a mile and a half from the location of the sighting, see?"

Liz reached out to place her hand over the lens of the flashlight when she heard a sound and they all fell silent for several minutes. "Sorry," she whispered finally, "I thought I heard something."

"Let's just get moving before we run into the sheriff or his deputies."

Alex folded the map up and shoved it into his pocket before reaching for her hand and taking the lead as they made their way through the woods.

*****

Michael turned his flashlight on and swept the beam across the forest floor when they stopped to rest for a minute. After picking Maria up they had driven into Fraiser Woods using an old entrance used by park rangers in the summer. According to the map it was a road that was no longer in use and that made it the safest point of entry.

Maria leaned against him, following his finger as it moved over the map and pointed their path out.

"Looks like we're gonna have to leave the trail about a quarter of a mile up and then we're gonna have to cross a riverbed and climb up to get to the place where the sighting happened."

"Does that mean we're getting close?" Maggie asked, unable to contain the excitement in her voice. She still couldn't believe she had been allowed to tag along on one of his trips to chase down a sighting. It was like field investigation work she had seen detectives do on television shows.

Eddie hid a smile as he listened to the conversation; Michael was fielding questions and he was surprised that the younger man hadn't become irritable due to all of the talking going on around him.

"Okay, we need to get movin' again." Michael took the lead and they formed a single-file line as they moved through the woods as quietly as possible.

After leaving the trail and crossing the dry riverbed they reached a rocky incline and Michael stood back so he could run the beam of the flashlight up over the barrier. "Damn," he muttered when he saw how high it was.

"What now?" Maggie asked as her eyes followed the light up the face of the dirt wall ahead of them. She turned to look at her brother when he shrugged the backpack off of his shoulders and unzipped it.

"How high you think that is, Eddie?"

The older man moved back and studied it. "I'd say… oh, 40 to 50 feet most likely."

"Yeah, that's kinda what I was thinkin', too. There are a few sturdy lookin' trees near the edge up there." He handed Maria the flashlight and reached into the backpack to pull something out. "You've got a better arm than I do," he said as he opened up the grappling hook and released the rope attached, letting it uncoil and fall to the ground. He held it out to Eddie and motioned for the girls to stand back to give him the room he needed.

Eddie hefted the grappling hook in his right hand, swinging it in a circular motion over his head as he targeted the tree that looked the most solid and would provide the best opportunity for the hook to find purchase.

It took three tries for the hook to settle into a position that was secure enough to hold his weight and he looked up to visually verify that. "Alright, I think we're good to go, but I'll go up first just to make sure."

As soon as Eddie had scaled the side of the cliff and pulled himself up over he re-secured the grappling hook and leaned over to motion for the next person to start climbing.

"I'll go next," Maggie volunteered, grabbing onto the rope and making the climb relatively fast.

"Um, we may have a slight problem here, Michael," Maria said as she glanced up at the rope swinging slightly in the cold night air. "I wasn't kidding when I told you I'm not really into sports of any kind. They made us do this in gym class and let's just say I didn't exactly pass that part… at all."

"What if the rope's knotted? Givin' you somethin' to grab onto and grip with your feet?"

"Well, yeah, but you don't have time for that, Michael – "

He held a hand up for silence and pulled a second rope out of his bag, tying it to the end of the grappling hook rope. "Eddie!" he called, his voice hushed. "We need the other rope."

Eddie nodded and started pulling the rope up.

"Michael, you're gonna lose too much time," Maria protested.

"You want me to leave you here?"

She looked around and shook her head. "Well, no, of course not, but I don't want you to miss your chance either."

"We're in this together, right? And besides that, I'm not leavin' you in the middle of the woods while I chase the source of that light." He reached for the rope when Eddie tossed it back over the side and he raised his arms over his head, wrapping his hands around one of the knots and letting his weight hang to make sure it would support him. He stood back and held the rope out to her. "Alright, you're up next."

Maria took a deep breath as she accepted the rope and wrapped her hands around the highest knot she could reach.

"I won't let you fall," Michael assured her. "I'll be right behind you the whole time."

"Okay." Even using the knots to support her weight and provide stability the muscles in her arms were burning by the time she was halfway up the rope. Three-quarters of the way up her arms were starting to shake. "Michael…" She felt his hand settle on her back briefly and moments later she felt the air begin to subtly shift around her and it was suddenly easier to pull herself up the rest of the way.

Eddie and Maggie both helped her over the edge of the cliff and pulled her back far enough to give Michael the room he needed to pull himself up after her.

"We're just a few hundred yards away from the coordinates of the sighting," Michael said as he stood and ran the palms of his hands over his jeans. He pulled the rope up, coiling it and carefully placing it out of sight beside the tree before putting the grappling hook in his backpack. He turned and pointed east after glancing over the map once more, taking the lead and pushing through the low-hanging limbs.

*****

Dried leaves and small twigs crackled and snapped underfoot as the clearing was approached and tree limbs shifted noisily as they were shoved aside to allow passage. Michael held a hand up and they all stopped, listening as the sounds continued for several moments and then suddenly stopped.

"What's going on?" Maggie whispered.

"There are others out in the woods," Eddie answered, his voice hushed. "That's always part of the risk when we chase one of these things."

She looked up at her brother, seeing the look of intense concentration on his face as his eyes scanned the woods in front of them. She saw the slight shift in his expression and she turned to see if she could see whatever had caught his attention. She started to speak when he raised his hand and pointed and she saw four shadowed figures through the trees, creeping quietly past them less than a dozen yards away.

"They're headin' for the clearing," Michael said, sounding agitated. "We need to get there first."

"Let's go then." Maria met his gaze in the darkness. "If they get there first we could lose the opportunity to find anything that might be there."

*****

Dual flashlight beams swept across the clearing as both groups crashed through the surrounding trees and brush, coming to a sudden stop as they came face to face. Silence fell over the eight people facing off and without even realizing it Michael and Max moved, their protective actions mirroring each other perfectly as they stepped in front of their respective groups, arms outstretched in front of the others.

"Max, look," Liz whispered.

Maria had been tugging on Michael's hand at the same moment to get his attention and now she glanced across at Liz, wondering what they were doing in the woods at night. They had never been interested in the alien stories or the sightings that randomly occurred in their hometown.

Michael followed Maria's pointing finger and he was sure he stopped breathing when he looked down and saw the strange symbol that looked like it had been branded into the grass at their feet. _It had to be alien in origin, right?_ He crouched down and brushed his fingertips over the edges of the strange symbol.

_Why was he here?_ Max wondered as he dropped down on one knee to get a better look at the strange design that separated them.

Alex and Liz broke their staring contest with Maria to look at each other, surprised to have run into her in the middle of Fraiser Woods at night. _What in the world was she doing there?_ Like them, she had never shown any interest in chasing sightings or looking any deeper into the mythology that surrounded their town.

Isabel observed the scene, taking it all in as she slowly moved back and forth behind Max, keeping her brother and the other guy in her line of sight at all times. Something was causing the strangest feeling of… awareness? Recognition, maybe? She couldn't pinpoint the feeling or exactly what was causing it, but she also couldn't shake it.

Her gaze dropped to the symbol that appeared to be burned into the grass and she frowned as she studied it over her brother's shoulder. _Could it be the symbol itself that was triggering the feelings she was experiencing? Or was it something else?_ She didn't like not knowing who or what was creating the unsettling feelings because she couldn't identify them.

Michael stared at the symbol, memorizing it so he could draw it as soon as he got back to the truck. He shifted to stand up at the same time that Max moved and they both shot to their feet, carefully keeping their girlfriends behind them.

Isabel rolled her eyes at their behavior and her hand unconsciously tightened around Alex's, momentarily drawing his gaze. He shifted, trying to line the symbol up in the center of the screen on his cell phone as he attempted to snap a picture of it. The image wouldn't be very clear, but he could clean it up a little once he uploaded it on his computer at home and they could research it to see if there was any information on it.

Eddie watched the scene unfolding before him, his dark eyes taking in every movement, every look, and every silent conversation going on around him. They had run across other people chasing sightings in the past, of course, but something about this felt different. It was rare to track a sighting and actually make it to the point of origin ahead of everyone else, and on occasion they did reach locations and stumble on other people who were chasing the same sighting, but none of those chance meetings had been like this one.

Maggie stayed silent as she watched what was going on around her. She didn't recognize the others, but she could sense the hostility and aggression between her brother and the dark-haired guy across from him. She didn't understand it, but the fact that he didn't trust the others was good enough for her and she maintained her distance, leaving him between her and them.

The sound of voices could be heard in the distance and the beams of flashlights bobbed, creating intermittent flashes of light in the darkness. Michael knew they had no choice but to leave the symbol despite the nearly certain possibility that it would be discovered by others and end up being splashed across the front page of the local newspaper before being picked up by the national papers. He glanced up when Maria's hand settled on his shoulder.

"We need to go, Michael… there are more people coming and the last thing we wanna do is get stopped and questioned by the sheriff." She paused, thinking. She couldn't leave any suspicious reasoning for them leaving before being discovered at the location of the sighting. "Your mother will have a fit if we get arrested."

Liz nodded as Maria's words registered and she wrapped her hand around Max's wrist, giving it a tug to get his attention. "We should go, too, before anyone else gets here."

Isabel glanced back over her shoulder, staring at the symbol as she backed away with the rest of her group. The feeling she had been experiencing swept over her again as her gaze moved from the blackened symbol up to the guy Maria was pulling back away from the clearing. There was something… something she couldn't quite put her finger on but she knew it was important.


	90. Chapter 89

**Author's Note: **Hi, just letting everyone know that we're taking a brief hiatus from posting to give us a little vacation. We'll return in three weeks to begin posting again.

**Part 89**

The being waited until the two groups had moved far enough away that their footsteps were nearly inaudible. It crouched down over the symbol, its eyes locked on the unearthly calling card as whispered words in its own language issued from its thin lips.

"You know I can't understand you when you do that."

Despite its irritation at being interrupted by the annoyingly human voice its face didn't reveal the slightest trace of emotion as it turned to face the 'human' it was responsible for.

"Well? Was it them?" Excitement lit up the otherwise cold eyes. "It was! Which one was he?"

It paused a moment, one hand outstretched over the otherworldly symbol. "More humans approach." The charred blades of grass reverted back to their more natural shade of green as the symbol was effectively removed from the ground. Satisfied that no evidence remained that they had been there it stood and backed away, motioning for its charge to hurry along.

*****

Maria grabbed Michael's arm when he paused in the middle of the dry riverbed. "What're you doing?"

"We can't just leave that… thing there. That symbol or whatever it is, it's alien, Maria."

"It was in an isolated area, surrounded by a lot of trees and bushes – "

"Don't tell me no one else will find it," he argued. "I'm sure you noticed we had company while we were there – those were your friends standin' in that clearing with us."

"What were your friends doing there, Maria?" Maggie asked. "Do they normally chase sightings?"

Maria shook her head. "No, never. But, they've got new friends and I don't really know much about them."

"We can worry about it later," Eddie interrupted. "Let's go before we get caught standin' out here in the open and have to explain ourselves to the local law enforcement."

"Then you guys keep goin'; I'll go back and get rid of the symbol – "

They froze when flashlight beams swept over the area nearby and Maria moved to get a better look at the people approaching. "That's Sheriff Valenti," she whispered. "Look, they're not going in the right direction to find that symbol, so let's get outta here and I'll come back in a couple of days and get rid of it, after all the hype starts to die down."

"I don't want you comin' out here by yourself."

Eddie rolled his eyes as he turned to see how close the sheriff was getting to their location. _This was the problem with bringing a girlfriend along,_ he thought as he released a sigh. "Can we discuss this later? We need to go."

Maggie's gaze was bouncing between the others when the insistent tone in Eddie's voice caught her attention. "Michael, c'mon, Eddie's right; we don't wanna get caught out here. I may be the rookie here, but I know I don't wanna be the one calling Mom and Dad to bail us out of jail."

"Let's go," Michael muttered after a few seconds of deliberation. He motioned for Eddie to lead the way back to the cliff and they hurried to vacate the area before they could be discovered.

*****

The drive back to Roswell was silent as the foursome was lost in their individual thoughts, but Isabel's mind wasn't going over their discovery of the symbol. She couldn't shake the feeling that had settled over her in the clearing and it bothered her that she still couldn't pinpoint the reason for it.

"We should've gone back and gotten rid of that symbol," Max said, his voice agitated.

Liz shook her head. "Max, we couldn't risk it; there were too many people in the area. We can go back in a couple of days when the excitement dies down and there aren't so many people around."

Alex glanced at Isabel and wondered where her mind was since she wasn't participating in the conversation going on around her. "Somethin' bothering you?" he asked, tipping his head to one side as he watched her. "Besides the obvious, I mean?"

She gave a sharp shake of her head and he nodded in response. Whatever it was she didn't want to discuss it with the others there.

He considered the best way to divide their tasks up before speaking again. "You guys wanna research the symbol while we continue with the search for the others found in the desert?"

Max glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "I don't think we'll find anything. That symbol was clearly alien."

"You didn't think we'd find a translation for that letter either," he reminded the other guy. "The answers are out there, we've just gotta find 'em." He glanced at Isabel again. "So, tomorrow we'll get back to work on our part of the research?"

Isabel looked at him when she realized he was speaking to her. "What?" She nodded when he repeated his question. "Oh, yeah, we'll do that tomorrow."

He settled back in his seat, confident that she would tell him what was on her mind the next time they saw each other.

*****

Michael's plan to go back out to Frasier Woods and take another look at the symbol and then destroy it the next day was thwarted when his parents received a telephone call from Uncle Randolph early that morning. He heard them talking in hushed tones in the kitchen as he stumbled down the hall, still half asleep. His right eyebrow lifted when he noticed his sister standing against the wall next to the kitchen doorway.

"What's goin' on?" he mumbled.

Maggie motioned for him to be quiet and gave him a push back towards his bedroom, following him inside and sitting down at his desk. "Dad got a call from Uncle Randolph; he said Dakota got arrested a few hours ago."

"For what?"

"Dakota's gotten himself into some very bad trouble," Catherine said as she and John entered the room.

"Your mom and I are gonna go meet Randolph and see if there's anything we can do. We've got your chores for the day listed on a notepad in the kitchen and we'll expect that list to be completed by the time we get home this evening." John glanced at his wife and nodded before leaving to get ready.

Michael frowned. "What'd Dakota get into now, Mom?"

"He and some of his friends got into a fight with a couple of other boys and now one of them is in intensive care and the doctors aren't giving him very good odds of surviving." She sighed and her gaze moved over her children, thankful that she and John didn't have to deal with the problems Randolph and Dawn were dealing with. "We should be home in time for dinner, but if not – "

"We've got it, Mom," Maggie assured her. "You guys go and we'll get everything taken care of."

Michael flopped back on his bed when he was left alone with his sister. "You're makin' breakfast."

"In your dreams."

"I'll take care of lunch and dinner."

"Yeah, because at lunch you'll slap a couple of sandwiches together and Mom already said they'll be back by dinnertime."

"Don't you have a date with Jesse tonight?"

"What is your point?"

"I already know what's on Dad's list… movin' some of the cattle, mendin' fences, barn duty…" He grinned. "That's gonna take all day which means you're gonna either be late for your date or you're gonna have to cancel."

"Uh-huh… and?"

"And if you make breakfast I'll round up some extra help for the afternoon so you don't have to spend the last few hours before your date chasin' cows."

Maggie considered his offer. "Y'know, there's this really great dress that I saw in a magazine and it'd look great on me – "

"Your brother is not your personal fashion designer, Maggie," Catherine chastised as she passed his room.

Michael grinned at his sister's disgruntled expression. "Guess it's my offer or nothin'."

"Fine, I'll go make breakfast, but you'd better get that help lined up before it's ready."

_Damn, this meant he wasn't gonna be able to make it back out to the woods today to check things out, _Michael thought as he got up to start getting ready for the long day ahead of him.

*****

Maria parked some distance away from the many cars belonging to the alien enthusiasts who were still combing the woods for some proof of extraterrestrial life. She had considered waiting a couple of days but she knew the longer she waited the more likely it was that Michael would take matters into his own hands. She squinted against the early morning sunlight as she pulled her cell phone off of the car charger and opened the door to get out.

She walked for more than an hour, constantly stopping to consult the map in her hand. She wasn't completely certain that she was going in the right direction; the woods looked so different during the day and she was approaching from the opposite direction. It wasn't until she found herself standing in the middle of the dry riverbed that she realized that she had gone well past the area where they had found the symbol.

"Damn it," she muttered, turning the map around in her hands and turning in a circle as she tried to figure out where she was exactly. _This was just one more reason to prefer the city over the great outdoors,_ she thought. _At least the city came with street signs. The woods just had trees… lots and lots of trees._ She didn't even know if she was in the same general vicinity that they had been in the night before.

She heard branches snapping underfoot, but the sounds were coming from close by and after several minutes of listening she turned to follow the sound. She stumbled onto the clearing a while later and at first she wasn't sure that she was in the right place because the ground was undisturbed; there was no blackened design burnt into the grass, no evidence of footprints in the area, and the brush around the clearing was undisturbed.

Maria was crouching down over the small area, reaching out to run her fingers through the soft blades of grass, when the sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention. By the time she looked up it was too late and she found herself facing the recently fallen from social grace Isabel Evans. She stood up slowly and the two girls stared at each other warily as they tried to decipher each other's expressions.

"Well, if it isn't Elle Macpherson traipsing through the woods," Maria muttered.

Isabel tossed her hair back as she stared down at Maria. "I could say the same about you." Her gaze flickered over the other girl as if she were completely insignificant. "Just not the Elle Macpherson part."

"Hanging out with Alex doesn't give you any right to act like you know me." She shook her head. "I don't know why you're hanging out with him but he must see something in you that I can't see because I know what friendship means to him. It's interesting that the four of you were out here last night… can't really see you taking a walk through the woods in the middle of the night. Kinda suspicious, don't you think?"

"No more suspicious than you and your friends being out here."

"And why is that suspicious?"

"Maybe because they live a good hour away from Roswell and really had no reason to be out roaming through Frasier Woods in the middle of the night." She paused, watching Maria closely. "Or was there a reason for you to all be here?"

"Was there a reason for you all to be here?" Maria countered, nodding when the tall blond just glared at her. "I have to go."

"The Crashdown awaits," Isabel muttered in a mocking tone.

"Later, Elle." Maria pushed through the brush and hurried to get out of the clearing so she could get back to her car.

"You might wanna go the other way."

Maria paused, glancing around and trying not to be obvious about it. "And why would I want to go the other way?"

Isabel rolled her eyes as she walked past Maria. "Because the way you're going doesn't lead back to the highway," she said airily. She could practically hear Maria's back teeth grinding and she smiled to herself as she waved over her shoulder. The other girl never said a word but before long she could hear her following not far behind.

*****

Alex was working on a report for his Economics class when someone knocked on his door and he turned around to look at his visitor. Isabel was leaning against the doorframe as she waited for him to invite her inside and she smiled when he made the expected motion. "Hey, what's goin' on?"

"I just came back from Frasier Woods," Isabel said, not surprised to see him working on homework even though it was mid-morning on a Saturday.

"Just couldn't give it a few days, could you?" he asked, his tone amused.

"It was gone." She sat down on the other chair and turned to face him. "The symbol was gone and Maria was there." She took in every nuance of his mobile features as he puzzled over that information. "Any ideas?"

He leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "No, but I've got a feelin' you've got an idea."

"Why was she there last night, Alex? Or this morning? What were her boyfriend and the others doing there with her? You said yourself that she's not the type to chase sightings and she's definitely not the woodsy type, so why would she be out there?"

"Well, I don't really know why," he answered honestly. "My guess would be it's probably somethin' her boyfriend's into." He waited for several minutes when Isabel remained silent, giving her time to collect her thoughts. "Somethin' else is bothering you though."

"Last night when we ran into them, when we found the symbol, I had a weird feeling and I wasn't sure if it was that symbol or something else." She bit her bottom lip as she wondered what he would say when she told him what she was thinking.

"It wasn't the symbol," Alex guessed.

She shook her head. "I had the same feeling the night we went to the basketball game; remember when Max and Maria's boyfriend started to get into a confrontation? I had that same feeling that night." She shrugged one shoulder. "At the time I just chalked it up to the fear that my brother was gonna do something stupid, but… I think it was that guy, Maria's boyfriend."

Alex sat up straighter and leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees. "Okay, we know his first name, but not his last, right?"

Isabel nodded, pleased that he wasn't treating her feelings as if they were irrelevant. "Right, so how do we check him out?"

He scratched his chin as he thought about it. "He's gotta be a student at Ruidoso High, but we don't know his last name… hmm…" He snapped his fingers a moment later and grinned at her. "He's probably a senior, right?"

"Most likely," she agreed.

"High school yearbook."

"How're we gonna get our hands on their yearbook?"

"Easy," he said, turning back to his computer and motioning for her to come closer. "Ruidoso was on the list of schools that participated in the pilot program for electronic yearbooks a couple years ago, so even if they didn't stick with it, we'll still be able to locate him through that first yearbook."

"We only know his first name though."

"I didn't say we'd be able to do it in five minutes, but if his picture's in the yearbook, we can find him that way."

Isabel nodded. "Okay, when can we start? I know you're in the middle of homework and I don't wanna interrupt you."

Alex waved her concern off. "I'm well ahead of where I need to be this early in the weekend." He motioned to the computer as he stood up. "Why don't you see what you can pull up for Ruidoso High while I go get us some drinks because I know once we get started we'll probably be up here for a while."

She smiled and moved to take his chair. "Thanks, Alex."

He simply nodded and hurried to get their drinks while she surfed the Internet looking for the site they needed. He ran into his mother in the kitchen and she left for her afternoon with the ladies at the book club after telling him that his lunch was in the refrigerator.


	91. Chapter 90

**Author's Note: **After much debate we have decided to alternate TLC with one of our other fics. Beginning next week we will post a new part of TLC with a post every other week. While we post on this new schedule we will be posting on Mondays. Our hope is to return to our normal posting schedule soon and we will keep you updated on that front.

**Part 90**

Maria pulled up in front of Michael's house and parked in the empty space where the truck was usually parked. Both vehicles were gone which was unusual for a Saturday afternoon and she wondered if she should have called before coming out. She heard voices coming from the back of the house and she walked around, following the sounds until she saw Michael, Maggie, and several of their cousins riding in from who knew where.

Her eyebrows lifted when she noticed that Michael was covered in mud and he looked less than happy about it. He dismounted and turned to lead Sundance to the barn when he saw Maria leaning on the gate watching him. She hid a smile when she saw his expression run through several changes before settling on acceptance as he glanced over his shoulder at his family.

"Should I ask what you've been doing?" Maria asked as she unlatched the gate and stood back to hold it open for them.

"Grumpy's been playin' in the mud," Colton answered for him. He glanced back over his shoulder to locate his youngest brother. "Shane, let's get a move on; Becca will be here to pick us up in a few minutes." He grinned when the teenager rolled his eyes, but he hurried his pace just a bit.

"Oh, c'mon, Colt, give him a break," Summer called from further back.

"Yeah, he was showing you up until that cow pulled him right off of his horse and dragged him through that muddy creek," Sierra added helpfully.

"No one asked for any of your input," Michael snarled as he attempted once again to brush the drying mud from his clothes.

"All hail the conquering hero," Maggie said with a grin. "You really showed that cow who was boss."

"Shut it, Maggie."

"Are you hurt?" Maria asked, concerned when she heard that he had been dragged.

"No, I'm not hurt," he grumbled, feeling foolish the longer she stared at him. "I need to go shower so I can make lunch."

"Are you making lunch for everyone?"

"No, just me and Maggie… the rest of them are goin' home." He turned to look at them. "Do you hear me? Go home, all of you!" He glared at his sister. "Matter of fact, you can go away, too."

"Oh, he's just so, so… grumpy!" Summer muttered.

Colton just laughed and checked his watch. "C'mon, you guys, let's get these horses taken care of before Becca gets here."

Maggie reached out to take the reins out of her brother's hand and smiled sweetly at him. "Hopefully that shower will put you in a better mood and don't forget that I don't want some crappy sandwich that you just throw together and call food."

Maria took Michael's arm, making a face when she came into contact with the mud that was everywhere as she pulled him back towards the house. "C'mon, why don't I get lunch started while you go get cleaned up because you're a mess."

"I didn't fall off of my horse," he denied before she could ask.

"I didn't think you did." She was fighting to keep a straight face as he explained how he had been viciously pulled out of the saddle and then dragged face-first through several hundred feet of sand and brush before the humiliation of the muddy creek put an end to the afternoon's unexpected activities.

"Sandwiches," he growled as he kicked his boots off on the front porch and leaned over to pick them up.

"Excuse me?"

"That's what's for lunch. If Maggie's really lucky I might open a bag of chips to go with 'em, but I had no intention of makin' anything more complicated before she laughed at me over this and I can promise you that now it's really nothin' more than friggin' sandwiches."

"Alright, well, I'm more than capable of making sandwiches, so go get cleaned up and I'll get them started."

"Just sandwiches!" he hollered over his shoulder when he was halfway down the hall.

Maria rolled her eyes after him and walked into the kitchen to start pulling out what she needed to make sandwiches. She was slicing tomatoes when Maggie came inside a little while later and she glanced over her shoulder when the girl paused in the doorway. "Lunch should be ready soon," she said, pointing at the fresh vegetables with the knife in her hand.

Maggie nodded and pointed over her shoulder. "I'm gonna run clean up if I can kick Grumpy outta the bathroom."

"Good luck, he was pretty dirty."

The other girl just laughed and hurried down the hall to her bedroom with the intention of evicting her brother from the bathroom.

Maria pulled a couple of slices of bread out of the bag and dropped them in the toaster, sliding the selector over to a light setting and lowering the bread into the appliance. She glanced up when Michael entered the kitchen, bare feet slapping on the floor as he crossed the room to stand behind her.

"Did your sister kick you outta the bathroom?"

"Um-hmm, but since she was in such a hurry, I left mud in the shower."

"Michael, tell me – " An angry shout came from down the hall before she could finish putting her question together, verifying Michael's claim and Maria shook her head at him.

"What? My boots were covered with mud." He shrugged. "I had to get the worst of it off." He shook his head at her when she started to speak. "She knows how I react when she gets pushy, so she knew to expect the consequences."

"Well, I don't have any brothers or sisters so I don't really understand some of the weird relationship quirks you guys have."

Michael's gaze slid over her features and he smiled slowly. "Can we not talk about my sister right now?"

Maria grinned up at him. "You got something else in mind?"

"Maybe." He reached up to cradle her face in his hands and he felt her arms slide around his waist, tugging him closer and holding him against her. He lowered his head to kiss her, taking his time to explore her mouth and draw it out.

"Mud in the shower, making out over lunch… are there any other things I could possibly find to complain about today?" Maggie muttered as she came in behind them.

"I'd be surprised if you couldn't find somethin' to complain about," Michael muttered, aiming the comment at his sister as he leaned back away from his girlfriend.

"The mud in the bathtub… great work, Michael. I'll remember that for later."

He smirked. "It was a nice touch, wasn't it?"

Maggie just sent him an evil look and went to get something to drink. "So, Maria, what brings you out here today?"

Maria motioned for Michael to go sit down at the table while she finished putting the sandwiches together. "I actually came out here because I wanted to talk to Michael about the symbol from last night."

"What about it?" he asked as he grabbed a bag of chips. He opened it and grabbed a handful of chips as he looked at her expectantly. He shook his head when he realized where she was going with her comment. "You went back out there? Alone?"

"Well, I was alone when I went out there, yes. I ran into Isabel when I got to the clearing."

"Isabel," Michael mused slowly. "She's one of the new friends, right?"

"Um-hmm, she was in the woods this morning; we ran into each other at the clearing."

He looked up from his sandwich and frowned. "So, she was there but the symbol wasn't?"

"Well, no, she got there right after I did." She shrugged one shoulder. "The symbol was already gone… it looked like it had never even been there. The grass didn't look like it had ever been disturbed."

Michael looked at her when she sat down next to him. "So, what d'you think?"

"You said when you touched it the grass felt as if it had been burnt, right?"

"Uh-huh, why?"

"The grass in the clearing was as soft as butter, there was no indication that anyone had ever even been there, and I don't know how to explain that. If it had been a hoax then there should've been evidence that someone had been there, and if it was real and the sheriff had found it there would've been cops all over the place and they most likely would've dug up that whole section of the ground and taken the symbol as evidence."

Michael tamped down the excitement that shot to the surface. "You think it was real."

"It's the only thing that makes sense; I don't know how else to explain the way that symbol disappeared."

"What d'you think the symbol was?" Maggie asked. "Someone making contact? Some type of language maybe?"

"Could be," he said, unconsciously crunching up the chips on his plate and creating a rather large pile of crumbled bits. "Any idea why she was there?"

"No, not really. She doesn't strike me as the UFO chasing type, and I still don't know why Alex and Liz were there last night, but… I don't think them being there is related in any way to the disappearance of that symbol." She watched Michael for a while. "You haven't recognized it or remembered it or anything?"

"No, but I haven't really had time to do anything with it because my day started off busy."

Maggie glanced between them and realized that Michael wanted to talk so she made her exit and left them alone.

"You were planning to work on that symbol today, what happened?" Maria asked when they had been left alone.

"Dakota was arrested early this mornin' and my parents went to see if there was anything they could do to help Uncle Randolph and Aunt Dawn." He rubbed a hand over his face as he stared at his plate. "He got into a fight with some other guys and one of them's in intensive care… Mom said the doctor's don't think the guy's gonna make it."

"Oh, Michael, I'm so sorry," Maria said as she stood and walked over to sit in his lap, her hands coming up to frame his face as she studied his expression.

He shrugged one shoulder as his arm came around her, his hand curving over her hip. "It's not a complete surprise that he's gotten involved in somethin' like this; it's only been a matter of time." He sighed. "It's just…"

Maria nodded and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "It's gonna hurt your uncle," she said, knowing what he was thinking.

"Yeah. I guess it's a good thing he didn't come after me or Shyanne. I mean, I can defend myself, but if he had come after me with that kind of intent I don't know what I would've had to do to stop him. And he could've seriously hurt Shyanne if he had gone after her."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, offering silent comfort as she held him and let him decide whether he wanted to say more.


	92. Chapter 91

**Part 91**

Max was slouched down in his desk chair, his pensive gaze locked on the sleeping monitor in front of him. Things were changing so fast and he wasn't sure that he was comfortable with all of those changes. His parents knew there was something different about him and Isabel, the letter that had been translated indicated that they had some sort of pre-determined destiny, they had found some sort of alien symbol in the woods, and just to complicate things Maria and her friends had been there when that symbol had been found.

"You look like you have a lot on your mind," Isabel commented as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Where've you been all morning?" he asked.

"I went back out to Frasier Woods to erase any evidence of that symbol but it was already gone when I got there."

Max sat up straighter and stared at her. "What do you mean it was already gone?"

"I mean exactly that; when I got to the clearing where we found the symbol last night it was like it had never even been there. Maria was there…"

"Maria? What was she doing there?"

"Well, we didn't really have a discussion about it, Max. It would've been pretty stupid to demand to know why she was there when she could've easily turned it around on me and wanted to know why I was there as well."

"We need to find out what she was doing out there."

"I've already talked to Alex about it and he's pretty confident that it's most likely something that her boyfriend's into because – "

"Wait, you went to Alex with this first?" He watched her as she made a show of studying her fingernails and he recognized the avoidance tactic. "What's going on between you two?"

"I fail to see how that is any of your business."

"Maybe it's not, but he's not like the rest of the guys you normally spend time with, Isabel; he's actually decent and he cares about you. He's a good guy and if you're just playing your usual games then you should stop because he's gonna get hurt and he doesn't deserve to be treated that way. He knows the truth, he's helped us – "

"I do not need your advice in any matters concerning Alex," she interrupted, her tone frosty. "But, just to clarify, things are different with him; I can be honest with Alex about anything and I enjoy just spending time with him and talking to him because he actually listens and he doesn't treat me like some empty-headed girl with nothing of substance to say."

"You like him," Max observed, his tone teasing.

"You're not as smart as you think you are."

"If you say so." He leaned back in his chair and looked up at her. "So, does this mean you'll be trying to help repair the damage that's been done to his relationship with Maria?"

"What?"

"You have to admit, you were largely responsible for creating the amount of distance that exists between them now."

"It seems to me that I wasn't the only one who was against Maria learning the truth."

"Maybe not, but you're the one who was going into their dreams and trying to scare them so they wouldn't say anything; I didn't start a campaign of terror to prevent them from telling a trusted friend – "

"Don't pull that with me, Max!" she argued. "You may not have been as vocal in your belief that she couldn't be trusted with our secret, but you didn't want her to know either. If it hadn't been for me, Liz would've convinced you with very little effort and Motormouth DeLuca would've been part of the I-know-an-alien club months ago."

"And you're that certain it would've been a mistake?" He stared at his sister as she began to pace, her movements agitated. "You do realize that if you decide to actually pursue a relationship with Alex at some point you may have to accept Maria and that we may have to reveal the truth to her?"

"Do I need to remind you that I'm the one who suggested speaking to her after the game?"

"A game where we were surrounded by a lot of people," he reminded her. "It's not like we could've had a serious conversation with her in that setting."

Isabel couldn't believe the way he had turned this around on her! Alex had been patient with her; he had been understanding and adamant in his belief that his childhood friend could be trusted as he had slowly made his case for Maria in a way that hadn't seemed pushy. She had started to accept that if nothing else he deserved to have his friend back in his life and he had been pleased by her suggestion that they should stop and say hi to Maria after the game.

She knew that the situation with Maria would need to be resolved if she and Alex were ever to move beyond the realm of friendship. But that was not what she was there to discuss and she didn't appreciate Max turning the conversation in this direction.

"So, any thoughts on that symbol from last night?" he asked before she could speak up.

"Other than it obviously being alien? No, but Alex is confident that we'll figure it out." She shrugged. "He was right about the letter, so I have no reason to doubt that he's right about this, too. If he says we'll find the answer, then we will."

Max decided to drop the subject because the last thing he wanted to do was to put her on the defensive about her feelings for Alex. "You seem to have become quite adept at this investigation business, so what's next?"

"We're searching through yearbooks, looking for more information on Maria's boyfriend, Michael."

Max felt himself tense up at the mention of the other guy. "Why?"

"Your reaction to him for one thing," Isabel tossed out carelessly, continuing when he just glared at her. "Look, that night at the game when I got between the two of you I got this weird feeling. I brushed it off at the time, thinking it was just the stress of the situation, but it happened again when we ran into them last night. At first I discounted it because I thought it might be related to the symbol, but then I realized that both times that I've had that feeling he's been right there. I think there's a connection and Alex agrees with me."

Max's eyebrows lifted at her matter of fact tone but he didn't push any further on the Alex subject. He could see that she was still adjusting to having a connection with the guy so there was no reason to put her on the defensive.

"Now, what about you and Liz? Will you be researching that symbol like Alex suggested?"

He bit his bottom lip and nodded. "She's gonna come by this afternoon and we're gonna start working on it. She's staying for dinner."

_Wonderful,_ Isabel thought, _she could spend the evening watching them make out over dinner._ "Let me know if you need any help with your research," she said as she turned and left his room.

*****

Michael was chewing on the cap of his pen as he navigated the websites related to the paranormal, searching for anything resembling the symbol he had drawn from memory. He hadn't found a single thing that came anywhere close to the design and he was beginning to get frustrated with the afternoon's fruitless search.

Maria had gone home a little while after lunch because she had promised to help her mother with something at the shop, his parents had called to say that they wouldn't be home for several more hours, and Maggie had left for her date with Jesse. He was enjoying the relative peace and quiet of the early evening as he walked into the kitchen with his notebook, tossing it on the island and going to the refrigerator.

The doorbell rang before he could begin searching for something to eat so he switched directions and walked back through the house. He pulled the front door open without bothering to check the identity of the person on the other side and he stood back when he recognized his grandfather standing on the porch.

"River Dog," he greeted, nodding at the older man as he stepped inside.

"Magnum." The nickname was spoken with a hint of teasing in the old man's gravelly voice and he followed his grandson into the kitchen.

"What's up?"

He smiled when the younger man resumed his search of the cabinets and refrigerator and he leaned back against the counter near the entrance to watch him. "I thought I would come by and see how Maggie's handling her last game; your father mentioned that she was upset over the," he smiled, "loss."

"Well, she's out on a date with Jesse right now." He shrugged and started pulling out leftovers from the previous night's dinner. "She'll get over it before long… Christmas is just around the corner and you know how goofy she gets around that time of year." He rolled his eyes and turned the oven on so he could warm his dinner. "You hungry?" he asked as an afterthought.

River Dog shook his head and motioned for the boy to continue with his dinner preparations. "How are things going with your mother?"

"Okay, I guess. She still isn't fully supportive of my relationship with Maria, but… there's not much I can do about it."

"And how are things with Maria?"

Michael finished making his plate and set it in the oven to warm as he turned around to look at his grandfather. "Good… she gets me."

The old man simply smiled at the boy's short answer and moved around the room. "And other than the women in your life, how're things going?"

"S'okay. I've been tryin' to figure out how to talk to Mom an' Dad about what I wanna do after graduation." He reached up to scratch his eyebrow with his thumb and the overhead light glinted off of the silver rings he wore. "I know how important college is to them, but…" He shook his head. "I can't spend the next four years locked up like that, River Dog, I need to get out and look for answers."

"You have a plan for this search?" he asked as he watched the boy fidget restlessly.

"Nothin' definite… yet."

"Um-hmm," River Dog mused as he leaned against the island and his gaze was drawn to the notebook. He tapped one finger against the page with the design sketched out, unable to look away from it as he asked, "Where did this come from?"

Michael looked up from checking his dinner when he heard his grandfather's tone and he tossed the oven mitt on the counter as he hurried over to stand across from the old man. "It's from the sighting the other night," he answered as he studied River Dog's expression. "You recognize it."

"Nacedo drew this same symbol." His fingertips ghosted over the drawing as he remembered back to the time the visitor had been among his people.

"Really? So, he could potentially be here?"

River Dog looked up at his grandson and nodded. "If you found this symbol at the sighting then yes, I would say it's possible." He saw the light of anticipation enter the boy's eyes and he straightened up to meet his gaze directly. "I know what it means to you to be able to find the answers, but you should be cautious about Nacedo; there was a darkness in him and the fact that the animals were nervous around him…" He shook his head and tapped the notebook once more. "Animals are very instinctive, Michael. They know when danger is near and they know when they are safe. Animals feel safe with you, they're drawn to you; the exact opposite is true of Nacedo, and you have to remember that he may very well be dangerous."


	93. Chapter 92

**Part 92**

Tuesday afternoon was just warm enough to sit at one of the tables outside at lunchtime and Isabel was drumming her perfect fingernails against the tabletop while she waited for Alex to join her. She knew he had gym class before lunch and he hated the hour he spent being forced to participate in sports and activities he had no interest in. It always amazed her that despite his dislike of the class he was normally still in a good mood afterwards and it appeared that today would be no different.

He came around the corner of the building carrying his tray, one strap of his backpack slung over his left shoulder, and his wallet chain making the metallic rustling sound that followed him everywhere he went. His movements were perfectly coordinated as he settled on the bench next to her, backpack hitting the ground at the exact same moment that his tray hit the table.

"How was that Psyche quiz?" he asked as he unfolded his napkin.

"I could've taken it in my sleep. How was gym?"

Alex snorted and shook his head. "As humiliating as it always is." He smiled as he motioned to his tray, offering her a slice of his pizza. "You think they actually get a degree in teen humiliation so they can teach that class?"

"Well, I'd be inclined to say no, but…" She shrugged and reached for one of the slices. "Climbing a rope and dodge ball? I can't imagine how either of those things are gonna help you or anyone else in the future."

"It's not." He took a bite of his pizza and chewed thoughtfully for several seconds. "Any idea what your homework's gonna look like on Friday?"

"Based on what I've got for today and what I had yesterday it probably won't be much."

He nodded. "Yeah, same for me. I thought maybe we could take a drive out to Ruidoso and hit the library there, check out their archives and see if we can find anything." He popped the top on his soda and took a drink before continuing. "We'll have a last name before the end of the week."

"You think so?" she asked, hoping he was right.

"Yeah. It's not gonna take much longer to finish goin' through the yearbooks online and once we do that we're gonna have our answer."

"What's the question?"

Isabel looked up and Alex turned his head to look at the owner of the new voice. His gaze slid over the girl, taking in the blonde hair, the blue eyes, and the too-friendly expression on her face.

"You're the new girl, right?" Isabel asked, turning the focus away from the conversation she and Alex had been in the middle of.

"Yeah, Tess Harding. Can I join you?"

Alex was on the verge of telling her that no, she couldn't join them because they were in the middle of a conversation when Isabel suddenly smiled and nodded, giving her permission. _What the hell?!_

Tess made it a point to glance at Alex and her features shifted into something resembling hesitation before she looked at Isabel once more. "Are you sure? If you guys were in the middle of something…"

"No, sit down and join us," Isabel insisted, waving her right hand towards the seat across from her. "I'm Isabel, this's Alex."

"Hi," she said as she took a seat and the smile surfaced once again.

Alex forced his own expression to remain neutral as he spoke to the intruder. "So, welcome to Roswell."

"Thanks, Al."

"It's Alex," he corrected, hating the abbreviated version of his name.

"Sorry," she apologized, chagrined. "I always hate the first day at a new school."

"Done this before?" Isabel asked, glancing at Alex when she picked up on his annoyance. It was subtle but she could sense it and she had the strangest feeling that the new girl was aware of it as well.

"Only about a hundred times." She wrinkled her nose. "Everyone's always so nice."

"Is that a bad thing?" Alex asked.

Tess completely ignored Alex and directed the answer to Isabel instead. "Well, the guys are usually nice because they want to jump my bones. And the girls are usually nice because they want to find out if I want to jump their boyfriends' bones. You must get that a lot."

Isabel nodded. "Yeah. How about the girls who hang out with you to meet a better class of guys?"

The new girl was obviously warming up to her topic. "Or the guys who say they understand you and really just want to be your friend, but all they really want is 15 minutes alone with you in the janitor's closet."

"We have an eraser room," Isabel said with a knowing smile.

"Thanks for the warning."

Alex was watching the girls as they talked, certain that he was in the middle of a nightmare as he was completely ignored and treated as if he weren't sitting right there between them. A few months ago the behavior would have been expected, but they had made a lot of progress since then and he expected better from her. He was on the verge of excusing himself and making his escape when the new girl pulled several packets of sugar out of her bag and tore them open, mixing the sweetener into her container of yogurt.

"Oh, my God," Isabel said, her tone expressing surprise, "I do that, too."

Tess looked up and smiled. "Good. I can't stand people who use fake sugar. Nothing can ever be too sweet. Don't you think?"

"Let me see your schedule. I wonder if we have any classes together."

He continued to observe their interaction as they discussed class schedules and other things that he could quite honestly care less about. He was more concerned with the way that Isabel was opening up around the new girl because it was too out of character for her; her behavior wasn't… normal.

He knew girls had a different way of interacting with other girls than guys did with other guys, but even that didn't explain her sudden enthusiasm for a complete stranger. The only girls he had ever really hung out with were Liz and Maria; neither of them harbored a secret like Isabel's and even they didn't get this talkative with a virtual stranger.

Maybe he just needed to keep an eye on things, see how it played out before he said anything. He didn't want to come across as jealous and he knew that was what it would look like if he spoke up right then. Instead he contented himself with observing, paying attention to small details so that he would be able to remember them later when he talked to Isabel.

*****

Michael leaned over and scooped up the wayward puppy that had an incredibly short attention span and placed it back in its original spot. He pressed one hand over the animal's rump and firmly pushed down until the puppy was sitting once again. He shook his head and took a couple of steps back, one hand outstretched in a bid for the puppy to do as he wished.

"Sit," he commanded.

The small black and tan head tipped to one side and the oversized ears flopped over as the puppy regarded him, dark eyes sparkling playfully as it made a little hopping motion and leapt up onto all fours once again.

"She's only eight weeks old, Michael," Maggie said, shaking her head at her brother as she sat down on a bale of hay to watch him.

"And she listens just about as well as every other female in my life," he grumbled.

Catherine had insisted he and the puppy relocate after she had discovered the shredded newspaper littering the living room floor. The animal had been happily laying under the coffee table, contentedly chewing on one of her shoes that had been confiscated from her bedroom. The barn had been the best option because the area was contained, but the puppy was still managing to find distractions.

Maggie whistled to get the puppy's attention and the traitorous animal ran to her, tail wagging, tongue hanging out of her mouth, and with less than a foot between them she tripped over her oversized feet.

"Aw, you clumsy little girl," Maggie soothed as she picked the puppy up and cradled her in her arms.

"C'mon, Maggie, stop givin' her all that attention. She's gotta learn a few basic commands before Christmas or Uncle Elijah's gonna kill me for askin' if we could get a dog for Joey."

"You've still got a little more than two weeks to teach her the basic commands, Michael. Give her a break and let her be a puppy for a while. Teach her something fun like how to fetch; that'll be entertaining for Joey."

"You teach her to fetch." He gave up and sat down next to her. "The dog's from both of us, so you should teach her how to do somethin', too."

"I'm teaching her how to show love."

Michael snorted and pulled a tennis ball out of his jacket pocket, tossing it to his sister. "Here, give it a shot."

"You and Maria made a good choice, Michael; the puppy's perfect for Joey."

He shrugged. "Maria picked her out. I was actually lookin' at a different pup, but she convinced me that this was the one we should get. Figures," he mumbled, "damn animal's as headstrong as she is."

Maggie laughed and placed the puppy on the ground, showing her the ball before bouncing it a couple of times and tossing it across the floor. "So, have you found anything matching that symbol?"

"No, not yet."

"What about what Grandpa said?" She rolled her eyes when the puppy settled down several feet away to chew on the tennis ball. "If that Nacedo guy is dangerous…" She let the words trail off, unwilling or unable to finish the thought.

"I'll be careful, Maggie, but I still need answers."

"What'd Maria say?" she asked, wondering if he had talked to Maria about it yet.

"River Dog came by after Maria left and I haven't talked to her about it." He shrugged and stood up again.

"But you're going to, right?"

"Yeah." He reached up to scratch his right eyebrow. "I was thinkin' about drivin' out to see her after school tomorrow."

Maggie stared at him suspiciously. "You're not about to ask me to do your chores tomorrow, are you?"

"No, but if we work together we can knock yours and mine out in half the time and you can ride with me. Maria's workin' every day this week, so I'll have to catch her for her dinner break. But, if you wanna go I'll pay for dinner."

"You really buying dinner or are you gonna conveniently forget your wallet again?" Maggie rolled her eyes when Michael just grinned and snapped his fingers to get the puppy's attention before walking outside. She knew well enough to always carry her money with her because in true brother fashion he had a tendency to let her pay whenever they went anywhere together.

Oh well, if it meant he was going to talk to Maria about what their grandfather had said in regards to Nacedo then she supposed it was worth it. She knew Michael's girlfriend would talk to him and he would listen to her because she was very persuasive. She would tell him to be careful, to not get in too deeply without knowing more, and her stubborn, hard-headed brother would listen.

*****

Alex stood at the counter in the kitchen, fingers drumming against the surface as he waited for his toast to pop up. He had expected to have company while he went through the last yearbook but Isabel had sent him a text to let him know that she had made plans with Tess after school. For the past couple of days she had been attached to the new girl and he still wasn't sure what was going on. When Tess was around it was like he didn't exist. And it wasn't just him; it was true of anyone else, too.

As soon as his sandwich was put together he grabbed a drink and went to his room, slouching down in his desk chair and staring at his computer. He didn't even know if they were still going out to Ruidoso on Saturday but he wasn't sure how to ask her. He pulled up the yearbook and started going through it page by page, studying the faces and continually coming up empty-handed. He minimized the screen after more than an hour of fruitless searching and he leaned back, staring at the blank screen thoughtfully.

He suddenly sat up and pulled up the Internet, typing a request into the search engine and following the links. He frowned when he finally found the link he was looking for and it wouldn't open. He glanced at his modem and sighed when he saw the lights blinking furiously and realized that his connection wasn't working.

He waited for almost an hour to see if it would come back online and when his service still remained out he put in a call to the cable company. By the time he hung up he knew that the outage in his neighborhood was going to last for several more hours so he packed up his laptop and prepared to head over to the Crashdown. Liz had convinced her dad that having wi-fi available for the customers would be an advantage and he had taken her advice after researching it himself.

He went into the kitchen to get his keys and paused when his mother came in through the side door that led out into the backyard. "Hey, Mom."

"And where are you off to?" Elaine asked with a smile.

"Over to the Crashdown; our Internet's out and I've got some stuff I need to work on." He paused when he saw the smile on her face. "You look happy… what's up?"

"Your dad called a little while ago."

"He's gonna make it home for Christmas?"

"A week before; his flight gets in next Tuesday and I'll be picking him up from the airport early in the afternoon so don't make any plans for that night."

"No problem." He shifted the strap for his laptop case higher on his shoulder and reached for the doorknob, stopping again when his mother called him.

"Alex?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Where's your shadow?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't you 'hmm' me, young man," she chastised. "You know exactly who I'm talking about. Where's Isabel?"

"She's um… she's hangin' out with her new friend." He picked at a crack in the edge of the door as he struggled to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "There's a new girl at school and she's just…" _How could he tell his mother how he felt without giving the truth away?_

"Just monopolizing Isabel's time?" Elaine asked.

"Yeah," he admitted after several seconds.

She watched her son, taking in his behavior and her right eyebrow lifted in interest. "You don't like this girl, Alex?"

He shrugged one shoulder. "I don't really know her, but, I don't like the way she's always around."


	94. Chapter 93

**Part 93**

Max dropped his backpack on one of the kitchen chairs and walked over to look for something to snack on. He pulled the refrigerator door open and leaned down to scan over the available food, shaking his head when he didn't see anything he wanted. He leaned over further to pull out the drawers at the bottom and was once again disappointed when nothing appetizing leapt out at him.

"Should've just gone straight over to the café," he muttered to himself. "It would've just made things so much simpler."

"Simple is good," a female voice spoke up from behind him.

He moved to straighten up so quickly that he smacked the back of his head on the edge of the freezer door and he winced as he reached up to rub the sore spot. He stared at the blond-haired girl who was standing in the doorway smiling at him. "Who're you?" he asked as he waited for the pain to subside.

"She's my friend, Max," Isabel answered, annoyed at his questioning tone.

He glanced back at the girl again, not realizing he was staring at her until Isabel walked past him and gave him an unsubtle shove as she reached into the refrigerator to grab a couple of drinks. He shook himself out of his stupor when his sister's voice penetrated the weird fog that seemed to have settled over his mind. "I don't remember her being one of your friends," he said as soon as he realized that the other girl had left the room.

"She's new; she just moved here with her father." She frowned at him. "Why're you acting so strange?"

Max just shook his head. "I'm gonna go over to the Crashdown."

Isabel rolled her eyes and grabbed a handful of the sugar packets her mother kept on hand for her as she walked out of the kitchen and went back to her room. She handed several of the packets to Tess and then proceeded to mix the sweetener into her own drink while she watched the other girl do the same.

"So, what's the story with you and Al?" Tess asked.

"Alex," Isabel corrected unconsciously. "He's my friend… my best friend, actually."

"Nothing more there?"

"Um, I don't know yet." She cleared her throat. "What about you? Anyone you're interested in?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm kinda bummed that your brother's unavailable." She smiled and shrugged. "I'm really into those serious types."

Isabel couldn't stop the eye roll that followed Tess's comment. "Yeah, well, you can forget all about that; Max is a total goner. You should hear him talk about her." Her voice changed into a high-pitched whine, "Oh, Liz is my soulmate. I've never felt like this before." She sighed and made a face. "It's enough to make you want to gag."

"Hmm, that's weird. I thought I felt…"

She looked up at Tess when she suddenly fell silent. "What?"

"Nothing. I'm sure it was nothing."

Isabel watched her guest as Tess started to move around her bedroom, looking at her things almost as if she was memorizing them. She had the strangest feeling that something wasn't right about the girl but the feeling was fleeting and disappeared just as soon as Tess turned around and focused on her again.

"So, where did Max go?"

"Oh, he went to the Crashdown. No doubt Liz is working today."

"We should go over there."

"What? Why?"

"I've heard a lot of the kids at school talking about it and it seems to be one of the most popular places to go for a burger here in town. Why don't we finish our homework and then we'll just go on over there? You probably have friends who hang out there, right? And Al will… I mean, _Alex_, will be there, too."

"Well, yeah…" Something about Tess's smile felt contrived and she found herself watching her warily.

"So, you can introduce me around and I can get to know them."

Isabel found herself agreeing even though there was a part of her that was resistant to the idea. Something inside of her wanted to say no, but for some reason she couldn't get the negative response to come out.

*****

Liz was delivering an order to a table of customers when the bell above the door jingled, signaling new arrivals and she took a quick look to see if it was another large group. She was surprised to see Maria's boyfriend stepping inside with a girl that looked vaguely familiar. She quickly pushed the thought aside when one of the other waitresses hurried to seat them in Maria's section and she turned her attention back to her customers.

It only took a matter of seconds before Maria realized that she had new people to wait on and a huge smile graced her lips the moment she recognized them. Liz took care of a couple of out-of-towners who came in and sat at the counter before leaning on the counter between the kitchen and the front so she could recite the orders back to Jose.

She glanced at the clock on the wall and knew that Maria would be taking her ten-minute break soon and her dinner break about an hour after that. _Looked like she had someone to spend her half hour break with,_ Liz thought.

She was picking up a new order when the door opened again and Max stepped inside, shrugging out of his jacket as he crossed the floor and headed for his usual booth at the back. She knew the moment he noticed their visitors from Ruidoso and she delivered the tray of food before going back to talk to him for a moment.

"Hi, Max," she greeted, leaning over to kiss him before sitting down beside him.

"Hi. I thought I'd come by to see if you wanted to go out for dinner tomorrow night."

"I have to work tomorrow night." Liz smiled, confused. "That's why we agreed to go out on Friday night."

Max reached for her hand, holding it in both of his as he looked up to meet her gaze. The meeting with Isabel's friend had left him unsettled and he couldn't explain it but he felt the need to be close to Liz, to reinforce his feelings for her. "I just… I'd really like it if we could go out tomorrow night, Liz."

"Max, are you alright?" she asked, concerned by the undertone of desperation in his voice.

"Liz, please, go out with me tomorrow night."

"Alright, I'll talk to my dad and tell him that I need the night off." She leaned in to kiss him before standing up again. "I need to see if I can get someone to cover my shift first though, okay?"

He nodded, relieved that she had agreed without requiring further explanation.

*****

Michael smiled at Maria when she stood up again, leaning over to give him a quick kiss before going back to work.

"You're getting dangerously close to falling into the cute category," Maggie said as she browsed through the menu.

"Whatever," he grumbled and slouched down far enough to prop his booted feet up on the bench seat next to his sister.

"You want me to get lost for a while when she takes her dinner break?"

He shook his head at her offer. "No. I don't want you wanderin' around outside by yourself at night; you can stay here and we'll probably take a short walk."

"Oh, please," she scoffed. "You're just gonna get far enough away from everyone so you can make out for a while."

Michael shrugged, refusing to confirm or deny his sister's statement. What business was it of hers if he wanted to make out with his girlfriend? "You figure out what you want for dinner yet?"

"Are you gonna talk to Maria about that situation we were discussing the other day?"

"At some point, yes. Not necessarily tonight since we have limited time."

"Wasn't that the whole point for this little trip?"

He pretended to be interested in the menu for several long seconds before he glanced up at his sister. "It was potentially the reason for the trip… I don't know if I wanna bring it up when we don't really have a lot of time to talk about it."

"Uh-huh, you are so full of it, Michael."

He was just about to shrug again when he glanced up and recognized the guy entering the café and he heard Maggie shift in her seat as she turned to follow his gaze.

"He's one of Maria's old friends, isn't he?"

"Um-hmm." Michael watched Alex as he moved to take a seat nearby and it was only a matter of minutes before Liz noticed he was there and after just a few hand signals she nodded and moved to give the cook a new food order.

*****

Alex sat sideways in the booth and leaned back against the wall, turning his laptop so no one else could see the screen as he opened it up. He was connected to the Internet before Liz came back with his drink and he quickly pulled up the search engine and typed in a few words before starting the search.

Locating the link he had been attempting to access earlier he selected it and his mind started to wander as he waited for the page to load. He didn't know what was going with Isabel but her sudden lack of interest in their investigation didn't make any sense and he was reluctant to make the trip to Ruidoso without her.

_So, he had to find a way around that, _he thought as he opened up the home page for the Ruidoso Chronicle. _Um-hmm, look at that… the archives._ He smiled to himself as he clicked on the link for the archives but within moments he was frowning. He read the information in the little box that popped up and he sighed in frustration.

_How could the newspaper require people to order a three-month trial subscription just to view the archived section?_ He shook his head as he considered his next move. He definitely didn't want to do anything that would link Isabel to the search so even a trial subscription was out of the question.

_Now what?_

"Whatcha working on, Alex?" Liz asked as she brought an order of Saturn Rings over and slid the plate on the table.

"History project," he answered with a quick glance at their surroundings.

She nodded, understanding what he was leaving out. "So, where's Isabel?"

"You got a minute?" Alex motioned for her to sit down when she nodded. "Have you met the new girl?"

"No, but she's in a couple of my classes. Why?"

"She's been spendin' a lot of time with Isabel." Alex shrugged. "Just somethin' about her I don't trust."

"You sure it's not just the fact that Isabel's spending time with someone who isn't you?" Liz teased with a smile.

"I don't think so." He sighed and let the subject drop. He didn't think it was jealousy but he hadn't completely ruled that possibility out either.

She reached over and patted his hand as she stood up again. "I've gotta get back to work."

He nodded. "Hey, Liz?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you run up against any sites requiring a trial subscription to – "

"Yeah, a couple of the newspaper sites, but so far I've been able to bypass them by calling the office directly and getting a temporary student password that allows me to access the sites. Call the number on the home page and you should be able to get the same type of access; they do it for students."

"Cool, thanks, Liz."

He did as she had suggested and then pulled his cell phone out, making the call and luckily finding someone still in the office who could help him out with the necessary password that would allow him to complete his 'assignment'.

*****

Maggie waved absently at her brother when he asked if she would be alright while he and Maria went for a walk. She moved to change seats, taking the one Michael had vacated and looking around at the other people in the café. She recognized the two guys that they had run into in Frasier Woods and she wondered why they weren't hanging out together.

She looked at Max, taking in his brooding expression as he stared at his girlfriend and after several moments of watching him she turned to look at Alex. His eyes had been locked on the screen of his laptop for quite a while now and she wondered what could be so interesting.

"They cram a lot of homework on you guys before the holidays here, too?" she asked, drawing his attention.

Alex looked up when someone spoke to him and it took a moment for it to register that the voice belonged to the girl that they had watched playing basketball on a Saturday night not so long ago. "Sorry, what?"

She motioned to his laptop and tipped her head to one side. "Our teachers always pile a ton of homework on us the last couple of weeks before the holidays."

"Oh, yeah, us, too." He smiled faintly as he hid his curiosity about her interest in what he was doing. _Time to turn the tables,_ he thought. "What brings you to Roswell?"

Maggie bit back a smile at his question. _Oh, he had questions and he was trying so hard not to ask them!_ "My brother wanted to see his girlfriend." She rolled her eyes. "He just couldn't wait for the weekend."

_Your brother, huh? That's right, keep talkin'._ "You guys seem really close."

"Yep, he just can't go anywhere without me. So, where's your girlfriend tonight?"

"My girl…" He shook his head and smiled wryly. "Isabel's not my girlfriend; we're just friends."

"You guys enjoy the game the other night?"

"Would've enjoyed it more if we'd won the game," he admitted with a shrug of his right shoulder.

"That makes two of us… well, not that I wanted your team to win."

"I don't recall seein' your brother playin' basketball or football… he out for an injury this season?"

_Fishing for information?_ "It's highly doubtful you'll ever see my brother racking up points for Ruidoso unless they happen to introduce eating as a high school sport." She looked up when one of the waitresses brought her plate over. "Well, I'll let you get back to your homework," she said as she turned around in her seat.

Alex just nodded, but his mind was shifting gears at an increasingly fast pace. _Damn, he had wasted time searching through team pictures and old articles in the sporting section of the Chronicle all for nothing! _Well, at least now he knew that he wasn't looking for an athlete, he was looking… his head lifted as he stared at the back of the girl's head. The guy didn't like being the center of attention, but he was strangely aware of his surroundings, and he watched everything like a hawk.

_No, it wasn't possible… it was too easy!_ He quickly minimized the screen he had been browsing and he pulled up his favorites, selecting the Ruidoso yearbook and pulling it up. He scanned through, searching for the photography credits and flicking his finger against the screen when he found it: Michael Guerin. He finally had a name! He had completely overlooked the photography credits when they had been searching over the past few days, so busy looking for a photograph that he had missed the obvious, and now he was mentally kicking himself for it.

His triumph was short-lived as he realized that the one person he wanted to share the news with was unavailable. He sighed as he filed that information away and went back to searching the archives from 12 years back. Isabel had given him the date that she and Max had been found in the desert so he had started with the same time frame, working forward, day by day as he searched for anything that would give them a clue as to who the third and possibly the fourth alien children were.

His gaze rested on Michael's sister for several minutes as he stared at her, lost in thought. _Was it possible that the answer had been right in front of them the entire time?_ There was no way that he and his sister were related by blood; there was no evidence of familial resemblance at all between them.

The evidence started to pile up as he went over things that should have been so obvious and yet they had overlooked all of it. Maria's boyfriend lived on the Reservation but he wasn't Native American, she had become just as secretive as they had over the past several months, Isabel had gotten a strange feeling around the guy on two separate occasions, Max had responded to the guy's baiting tactics in a way that he had never responded to anyone else, and most importantly, he had been at the sighting and seen the symbol on the ground, but they seemed to have been the only people to have viewed it.

_What if Maria was dating one of the other aliens?_


	95. Chapter 94

**Part 94**

"What's on your mind, Michael?" Maria asked as she watched him, waiting for him to speak. It was too cool to be outside for long so they were sitting in the truck with the engine running and the heat pouring out of the vents.

Michael stared at the steering wheel cover, his thumbnail picking at it as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say. "That symbol we found in the woods…"

"Yeah?"

"River Dog saw it in my notebook; he said this Nacedo guy drew the same symbol."

"Okay," she said slowly, wondering why he was taking so long to say what he had to say. "What else did he say?"

"He said he's dangerous." His thumb stilled and he turned to look at her.

Maria bit her bottom lip as she thought about what he had said. It wasn't the first time she had considered that the other alien could be dangerous, but it was the first time she could remember him admitting the possibility. "I'm not gonna lie to you, Michael, I think it's a risk, and I'm not sure it's one we're equipped to handle."

"What d'you mean?"

"This other alien… we don't know what powers he has and he's had decades to hone his abilities. What if his powers are nothing like yours? What if they're more dangerous, more advanced?"

"What if he has all the answers to my questions?" he countered, inching across the seat. "He could very well be the only person who can tell me what I need to know about where I come from and why I'm here." His right arm slid down from the backrest to settle around her shoulders. "C'mon, Maria," he whispered, his tone persuasive as he let his lips roam over the sensitive skin below her left ear. He was pretty confident that he could convince her to see things his way if he could keep her distracted long enough.

"I know that's important…" She trailed off when his cheek brushed against hers and she felt just the slightest hint of stubble graze her skin. _Damn, he was making it hard to concentrate,_ she thought as she reached up to cradle his chin and redirect his attention.

Michael was on the verge of protesting until she moved and captured his mouth with hers, allowing her to turn the tables and distract him from his mission. He easily lost interest in the conversation when she shifted onto her knees and her arms slid up over his shoulders, her fingers threading into his hair.

His hands settled on her hips and she gasped in surprise when he pulled her over to straddle his lap. The tiny sound was immediately followed by a satisfied moan as he deepened the kiss and she melted against him.

*****

Alex glanced up from his research when someone paused next to his booth and he smiled as he recognized Isabel standing there. The smile slipped just a bit when he realized that she had brought company with her.

"How's the homework?" she asked.

He shrugged, sensing that she wanted him to redirect the conversation. "About the same as usual, I guess." He reached out to close out what he had been working on and then pulled up his most recent calculus homework before turning his laptop towards her.

"Homework?" Tess asked, wrinkling her nose. "Are you serious?"

"Well, if I get enough of a jump on it I won't have anything to do this weekend."

"Do you still have tomorrow night free?"

He glanced at Isabel when she spoke and he nodded. "Wanna go ahead and knock out that paper for your government class?"

"Yes," she breathed, relieved that he had understood. "Yes, government class."

"I don't remember any assignments for that class," Tess said, glancing between them.

"It's for extra credit," Alex answered without missing a beat. "The class bores Isabel to tears so she's not doin' as well as she could be."

"Oh, look, Iz, there's your brother." She placed her hand on the taller girl's arm. "I'm just gonna go say hi."

Alex watched her as she turned and waved to Max and he frowned when the guy raised his right hand to return the greeting, the gesture almost forced. He looked trapped when Tess slid into the booth across from him and his gaze darted around as he looked for Liz. "Okay, what's goin' on, Isabel?"

"I don't know, Alex," she whispered as she sat down next to him. "Come to my locker after school tomorrow, okay? Say it's because we arranged for you to give me a ride home or because we're working on homework, whatever, just don't let me tell you no and don't let me leave with her."

"Okay," he said slowly.

"How're you doing with the research? No, wait, don't tell me; we'll talk about it tomorrow. I don't wanna know anything about it while she's with me."

Alex glanced at Tess again, studying her for several seconds before looking back at Isabel. "You don't trust her."

Isabel lowered her voice to make sure it wouldn't carry. "No, no, there's something not right about her, Alex. I don't know what it is, but I feel… I don't know… _off_ when I'm around her, like I'm agreeing to things because she's suggesting them not because I'm even remotely interested in doing them."

"She seems to have taken an interest in Max."

"I know, and I've already told her he's with Liz. We were at my house earlier, before we came here, and she went to get a drink, right? Well, it was taking so long that I finally went to see what she was doing… she was just standing there, staring at Max and he looked like he was in a trance or something, even after she left the room. And afterwards when she started asking me about Max I started telling her all about him and Liz." She sighed and shook her head. "I've never made any secret that their nauseating PDA's are something that I could live without, but I don't normally just go on about it to someone who isn't in our little circle."

Alex nodded. "Okay, you sure you don't wanna just tell her you're gonna start workin' on that homework tonight?"

"No, we've already made plans to hang out tonight and I don't want to make her suspicious by suddenly changing plans."

"What time d'you think you'll be home?" He looked at her and smiled sheepishly. "So I can call and make sure you got there okay." He shrugged. "I know you don't need me to, but I'd like to. If you don't mind."

They glanced up when Tess slid into the booth across from them and raised one eyebrow in question. "What're you two over here whispering about?"

"Oh, Alex was just asking if I was gonna be home in time to catch some show he's been hounding me about." She shrugged. "But, since it comes on at nine I assured him that I'll be home." She rolled her eyes. "It's a school night so my parents would have a fit if I was out later than that."

Tess made a noncommittal sound as she turned her head to watch Liz walk across the dining room to talk to Max.

*****

Liz sat down beside Max and she frowned when he didn't respond to her comment. She turned to follow his gaze and she was surprised to realize that he was staring at the new girl that Isabel had been hanging around with recently. _Okay,_ she thought, _that was unusual._ Max wasn't the type to stare at other girls and she wasn't sure exactly how to respond to the odd behavior.

"Um, Max?"

No response.

"Max," she called him a little louder as she reached over to lightly pinch his forearm.

"Huh? What?" He shook his head as he turned to look at Liz and he frowned at her while reaching over to rub his arm. "What're you doing?"

"Since when do you just stare at other girls, Max?" she insisted, her voice low.

"What're you talking about?"

"Max, you were just sitting here staring at the new girl."

"What? No, I wasn't," he denied.

"Yeah, you were." She shook her head at him and stood up again. "I've gotta get back to work."

"What'd you come over here to talk about?" he asked.

"I wanted to let you know that I found someone to cover my shift tomorrow night." Her confusion mixed with irritation when his attention started to drift and the next thing she knew he was staring at the new girl again. "Although I don't know why I bothered," she muttered as she went back to work.

Max barely noticed that Liz had moved away until Tess stood up with Isabel and they walked towards the entrance. Tess turned and tossed a smile at him over her shoulder and when she stepped outside he felt that foggy feeling start to lift again. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it and he glanced at Liz when she walked past him to take an order from a new customer.

He frowned when she went to take the order back to Jose and she completely ignored him as she passed by. He flagged her down when she took a plate out to a truck driver sitting near the door and he sat back with a confused expression on his face when she acted as if she hadn't seen him wave to her.

"Maybe you shouldn't be drooling over other girls while your girlfriend's sitting with you."

He turned his head to look at the girl who had spoken and he recognized her from the night they had run into Maria and her friends in the woods. He was spared having to make conversation with her when Alex suddenly stood up, checking his watch as he gathered up his laptop, notebooks, and some other small items that he shoved into his backpack.

*****

Maria smiled and waved as Michael and Maggie left the Crashdown and as the door closed behind them the little bell jingled, reminding her that she was still working. She shook her head as she realized that Michael had managed to completely change her mind with a few kisses. _Well, his kisses weren't exactly the kind that were easily forgotten,_ she thought, building up a defense for being so easily swayed to see things his way.

She fixed her apron, grabbed her order pad and went to greet a new group of customers that had just entered the restaurant. Based on the time and the number of people who were slowly beginning to filter in and the time she knew they had most likely come from the nearby theater. The early evening movie had just let out and now the masses were in search of greasy food to fill the hunger that had been temporarily appeased with popcorn and soda.

It wasn't until there was a lull in the rush that she realized that Liz was ignoring her boyfriend despite his occasional attempts to get her attention. She briefly wondered what was going on between them, shrugging it off when Liz walked through the swinging door and Max gave up trying to be subtle and followed her.

Liz threw her headband into her locker and leaned against the cool metal as she tried to bring her emotions under control. She missed Maria even more at times like this, times when something was going on and she needed advice. As much as she loved Alex he just couldn't see things from the female perspective.

"Liz?"

She sighed when Max spoke up from behind her, his voice quiet and hesitant. "Why, Max?"

"I can't explain it, Liz. I don't understand it; I don't even realize I'm doing it until after she's gone."

She turned her head and stared at him incredulously. "That's your explanation?"

"I don't know what else to tell you." Max shrugged helplessly. "When she's around I get this really weird feeling. It happened earlier today when she was at my house."

"What was she doing at your house?" She knew her tone was accusatory and that Isabel had been spending a lot of time with the new girl, but she couldn't help it.

"She and Isabel are friends I guess… I don't know, Liz! I'm telling you, there's something not right about her. I get these weird feelings around her and I don't know – "

"Feelings?"

"Yes! No! Not feelings like I have for you!" He was explaining it poorly and he was only making things worse. "They're different, Liz… they're… primal… I don't know how to explain it."

"Primal," she said slowly. "Like… sexual?"

"I don't know!" He desperately wished he had someone to talk to about things like this, someone who had the ability to understand from his unique position. But the only other alien he knew was his sister and he just couldn't go to Isabel with this. "All I know is that when she's around I don't feel like I'm in control of myself."

"Max, that's ridiculous!" she hissed.

He held his hands out at his sides, completely helpless to explain the situation any better. "I need you to help me find a way to figure out what's going on."

Liz bit her bottom lip as she studied his expression; he looked distraught and it didn't take long before she decided that he had to be telling the truth. Max wasn't the kind of guy who would go behind his girlfriend's back to pursue another girl. He had come to her for help and she couldn't just turn him away.

She was just about to smile and assure him that they would work everything out when she suddenly realized that he hadn't come to her because of the new girl. "You didn't even mention her when you came in earlier tonight," she mused, almost to herself. "When you got here you were begging me to change my schedule so we could go out tomorrow night… was that because of her?" She shook her head when he opened his mouth but no sound came out.

He could see he was losing her and he reached out to grab her arm when she started to move past him. "Liz, please!"

She paused beside him and looked up to meet his pleading gaze. "We'll go out tomorrow night, Max, but I want you to stay away from her."

He nodded. That's what he wanted, too.


	96. Chapter 95

**Part 95**

Isabel felt relief wash over her when she turned the corner and saw Alex leaning against the locker next to hers. She had ducked out of class before the final bell had even finished ringing in hopes of getting to her locker before Tess caught up with her.

"Where's the fire?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin when Tess suddenly appeared at her side. She forced a laugh and hoped it didn't sound as nervous as she feared it had sounded. "What?"

"You seem to be in an awful big hurry," Tess said. "I thought maybe you were trying to avoid me."

"What? No, of course not."

"Uh-huh, well, I called you but you practically ran from class. I thought we could hang out."

"I have plans with Alex," Isabel said insistently.

"You can hang out with him later." Tess rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he isn't doing anything other than studying anyway."

Alex observed them for several seconds, not missing Isabel's small retreat when Tess moved to stand in front of her. He heard the shorter girl's tone change, lowering and becoming persuasive as she attempted to change Isabel's mind. He could see the internal struggle and in that moment he knew for certain that Tess wasn't who she claimed to be.

He intentionally bumped into Tess' shoulder as he brushed past her to stand next to Isabel. "Hey, my mom wanted me to invite you to stay over for dinner since we're gonna be workin' on that homework assignment."

"We were just discussing that," Tess said as she turned to glare at him. "_Before _you interrupted."

"Um-hmm, well, we've already lost crucial study hours because she's blown me off so the two of you could hang out, so unless you're plannin' to explain her failing grade to her parents then you can go hang out with someone else today."

Her blue eyes narrowed. "Why don't we just ask Isabel what she wants to do?"

"Fine." He turned his head to look at her. "Isabel?"

She was fighting the strange feeling, unable to look away from Tess' intense gaze. She was vaguely aware of Alex shifting next to her and her fingers twitched when she felt the back of his hand brush against hers. "Um, we can probably study later…"

Alex frowned at Tess and he moved very slowly as he wrapped his hand around Isabel's, linking their fingers and squeezing just enough to draw her attention away from Tess.

"But I think Alex is right," she said, feeling relief wash over her as she met his steady gray gaze. "My parents are gonna kill me if I fail this class."

Tess lowered her gaze to their joined hands, musing over the strength of their connection before she gave in and nodded. "Alright, it's your loss. I'll catch up with you later, Isabel." She looked up at the guy who was staring back at her, his gray eyes placid, yet watchful. "You too, Al."

"It's Alex!" they both corrected as she walked away.

"There is definitely somethin' not right about her," Alex said when they were alone.

Isabel sighed and squeezed his hand tightly. "Thanks, Alex."

"Anytime." He motioned to her locker. "You need to get anything?"

"My textbook for my government class, just in case we run into her again. Hey, how's the research been going?"

He paused a moment when she turned to her locker, letting the suspense build until she finally turned to look at him.

"Alex?"

"I think it's finally paid off."

Her eyes widened as she whirled around to look at him. "You've found something?"

He grinned and nodded. "I think I've found one of them and you're not gonna believe who it is! C'mon, I left everything at home, didn't wanna risk havin' it around with Tess anywhere in the vicinity."

Isabel hurried to shove everything in her hands into her locker and grabbed her book for her government class so they could leave. She couldn't believe he had found something and she had missed out on it!

*****

Isabel settled into her usual chair in Alex's room while he rummaged in the kitchen for drinks and something to snack on. She turned the computers on and reached for the binder with all of the information they had gathered and he had compiled for their report. She smiled as she flipped through the plastic sleeves, fingers tracing over the papers they had written together and individually. She had been amazed when he had shown it to her recently and she still couldn't believe how well it had come out.

"Isabel, I didn't know you were here," Elaine said from the doorway.

She turned and smiled at Alex' mother. "Oh, hi, Mrs. Whitman. We're gonna do some more work on our report." She hesitated. "Is that okay?"

"Oh, of course, dear! I just didn't hear the two of you come in; I've been busy getting things ready for Charles since he'll be coming home soon." She stepped into her son's room and moved to stand next to Isabel as she looked down at the open binder. "Alex showed me your report the other day when he was asking about interviewing his great aunt Irene; she was a WASP during the war."

Isabel nodded. "I'm gonna interview my grandfather."

"Alex said it was your idea to close the report out with personal interviews." She smiled. "That was a wonderful idea, Isabel."

"Thank you. Alex is the one who came up with this idea though…"

"And Alex couldn't have done it alone," he said as he joined them with a couple of drinks and a small plate with several pieces of fudge. "Hey, Mom."

"Don't you 'hey, Mom' me, young man. I can see that fudge perfectly well from here."

He kissed her cheek as he passed her on his way to his chair. "I only got a few pieces and it's not enough to ruin my dinner."

"Speaking of dinner," she said, looking back at Isabel, "did Alex invite you to stay for dinner?"

Isabel smiled as she glanced at Alex from the corner of her eye. "In a roundabout way," she answered.

Elaine shook her head. "Well, consider yourself invited in a direct way. Now I'm going to leave the two of you alone so I can run and do a few errands. I'll be back in about an hour to get dinner started."

"Thanks for the invitation, Mrs. Whitman. I'll call my mom and ask her if it's alright."

"You're welcome, dear, just let me know what she says. You two behave yourselves and I'll be back in a bit."

Isabel waited until she heard the front door close followed by Elaine's car leaving the driveway before she turned to look at Alex. He was slouched down in a comfortable sprawl as he devoured the fudge that he had brought upstairs with him.

"Wanna piece?" he offered, nudging the small plate across the surface of his desk.

"You said you think you've found one of them," she said impatiently as she shook her head and returned the binder to its spot on the back of his desk.

Alex grinned at her as he sat up straighter and reached for a folder filed in the cabinet next to his desk. He handed it to her and leaned back, waiting for her reaction.

Isabel frowned at the plain manila folder, recognizing the tiny label he had written on the tab at the top right corner. He had uploaded the pictures he had taken that night in the woods, the night they had chased the sighting and been forced to leave the symbol without a closer examination because of the others who had also been there. She glanced up at him as she opened the folder and lifted out the photos of the symbol and her gaze lowered to them as she flipped through them to find the single photo of Maria and her friends.

Her gaze zeroed in on Maria's boyfriend Michael and she slowly looked up at Alex once more. "It's him?"

"I met his sister a couple nights ago at the Crashdown." He shook his head as he leaned forward to tap the picture. "Look at them, Iz, they don't look anything like each other. She's obviously Native American, full-blooded most likely, judging by her features; her brother, Michael? He's White and it's doubtful he's got much Native American blood in his veins if he has any at all. The guy's probably adopted, Isabel, _and, _he's also the same age as you and Max. He's credited for a lot of the photographs in the yearbooks, but he's not in a single shot himself. And, and, every time we've run into them you've gotten that weird feelin' from him."

She braced her elbows on her knees as she tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully. _It made sense,_ she realized. "What do we do now?"

"Go out and meet him, see if he'll talk to us."

"You found out where he lives?"

"No, we'll have to catch him after school, before he has time to leave. I've got a free period at the end of the day tomorrow, but…"

"But I don't," she finished for him.

"Right."

She nodded. "I'll figure something out."

*****

The next afternoon at school Isabel sat at her desk, watching the clock and trying to come up with a way to get out of her last class of the day without someone in the office calling her parents. She was down to less than five minutes before the bell rang, ending her current class and sending her scurrying to the next one before the bell rang again. She had only been able to come up with one plausible scenario and while she did feel bad for it, she couldn't really think of anything else that would work.

She knew that being a senior had its advantages and if the teacher went home during last period they would most likely be given a free period or a study hall. _Either one would work,_ she mused. Both were easy to get out of and she could get away undetected with little effort on her part.

As soon as the bell rang she gathered up her books, not bothering to stop at her locker to exchange them for the ones she needed for her next class since she had no intention of needing them. She made her way to the classroom on the opposite side of the building and paused near the corner to take a calming breath.

Ms. Harper always stood just inside the doorway so that she could greet each of her students as they entered the classroom and today was no different. Isabel forced down the moment of guilt that reared its ugly head again and plastered a smile on her face as she started to walk the last few feet that separated them.

"Isabel, you're early today," Ms. Harper said, her tone surprised. "You usually skate into class just as the bell is ringing."

"Oh, well… I…" Isabel made it a point to drop one of the textbooks and a notebook, quickly leaning down to pick them up. She hid a smile when the teacher knelt down and started to collect the items at the same time and as she accepted her notebook from the woman she let her hand move to her wrist and linger for just a moment. "Thank you."

"Of course, Isabel, although it looks like you've got the wrong books for this class."

She feigned surprise. "Really? Because I thought we had a quiz today, so I didn't think I would really need my textbook."

Ms. Harper smiled and nodded. "You make a very good point."

Isabel made her way to her preferred desk and took a seat, waiting for class to start as the other students filed into the classroom and settled down for the last class of the day. Two minutes before the bell rang Ms. Harper reached up to rest her palm against her forehead and a moment later she excused herself.

The principal arrived with the final bell and Isabel barely remembered to control her smile when he announced that Ms. Harper had gone home early and he was granting them a free period.

*****

Alex was sitting in the library, trying to focus on a book and failing miserably, when a pair of hands came around him to cover his eyes.

"Guess who." 

"What're you doin' outta class?" he asked as he reached up to cover her hands, pulling them away from his eyes so he could tip his head back and look up at her. He had his suspicions, but he wouldn't make accusations.

"Ms. Harper went home; she wasn't feeling well." She smiled brightly. "So, now I've got a free period."

"Um-hmm, that's convenient."

"Isn't it?"

"Little bit too convenient if you ask me." He shook his head at her. "What'd you do?"

Isabel dropped down into the chair next to him. "Nothing serious, Alex. Look, I know you don't approve, but if we don't get out to Ruidoso before school lets out we're gonna have to wait until next week."

No, he didn't approve of those tactics, but he knew this business with Tess was making her edgy and waiting several more days wasn't an option. "Alright, let's get goin' then because it's a long drive."

She was relieved that he wasn't going to give her a lecture because it would only lead to a fight and she wasn't interested in fighting right now.


	97. Chapter 96

**Part 96**

Michael took the steps two at a time as he hurried to his locker to shove the books he didn't need inside before heading for the entrance and a weekend of freedom. Maggie had practice and she had already arranged to catch a ride with Linda and Christina so he was under no obligation to hang around school on a Friday afternoon. He shoved a couple of textbooks he needed for homework into his backpack and had just reached up to slam his locker shut when he realized he was being watched. He slowly closed his locker and silently groaned when he saw Shadow leaning up against the locker next to his.

"What's up, Cuz?" Shadow asked as he grinned.

"Nothin'," Michael answered cautiously. "Why? You need a ride or somethin'?"

"Huh-uh, just wanted to remind you about the Christmas pageant tomorrow evening." He followed Michael when his cousin turned and walked toward the school's entrance without a word to him. He had expected as much, but he also knew that despite Michael's behavior he had given his word and he wouldn't go back on it.

Michael knew there was no getting out of his agreement to take the pictures at the pageant, but it didn't mean he had to enjoy it either. He glanced to the side when Shadow caught up with him as they stepped through the wide double doors and he moved back out of the way of other students when it became apparent to him that his cousin wasn't going anywhere until he at least acknowledged him.

"What?" he growled.

"So, the pageant's at seven o'clock at the Community Center, but I'd like for us to be there at least an hour early so we can get set up."

"Shadow, did I tell you I'd do this stupid thing?"

"Um-hmm."

"And when I agreed, did you tell me where it takes place?"

"Yeah."

"Then do I need any other information from you?"

Shadow studied him and after a moment he grinned. "Just that I'm gonna need a ride, so I'll be ready to go about quarter after five."

Michael nodded and stared at Shadow, waiting for him to realize that he was testing his patience. "Is there anything else?"

He shrugged. "You can invite Maria if you want."

"Uh-huh, because I want to expose her to this ridiculous experience." He made a choppy, waving motion with his right hand. "You're holdin' me up, Shadow."

"Later, Cuz!" Shadow nodded and hurried around the side of the school where his sister had parked that morning.

Michael just shook his head and ambled down the steps and across the campus to the parking lot on the opposite side of the building. He took his time, letting the parking lot empty out as other students hurried to escape the school and begin two days without classes or teachers, and by the time he reached the parking area there were only a couple dozen vehicles still in the lot.

He pulled his keys out of his pocket and tossed them up in the air, catching them and hooking the ring on his forefinger. He was less than a hundred feet from the truck when he looked up and noticed the two people standing next to it, obviously waiting for him. He didn't know why they were there, but he was sure it was probably related to the situation with Maria.

"Not really interested in anything you've got to say," he muttered as he walked right by them and unlocked the truck door.

"Well, you may not think so," Alex said, "but we're pretty sure you'll change your mind once you hear what we've got to say."

"You incorrectly assume that I intend to stick around and listen to you plead your case." He tossed his backpack into the truck and slid in behind the steering wheel. "You're the one who threw your friendship away, so don't come out here expectin' me to give a damn about you wantin' to fix it now."

Alex grabbed the door before Michael could shut it. "It's very important that we talk to you."

"Uh-huh," Michael said, unconvinced. "And again, I'm not helpin' you; what you did to Maria is unforgivable and there's no excuse for it."

Isabel glanced around the parking lot when it became apparent that he wasn't going to listen to reason. "We know what you are," she said, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice.

Michael froze and his hands gripped the steering wheel as her words registered. She hadn't said they knew _who_ he was; she had said they knew _what_ he was. He slowly turned to look at them, his eyes cold as he stared at them. "I don't know what you think you know, but whatever it is you can – "

"Look," Alex interrupted, "you have a problem with us and I can appreciate your need to protect Maria from us since you feel that we pose a threat, but we've got to talk to you about some things."

"Like what?" Michael asked carefully.

"Like you're adopted and not… Native American."

Michael could hear what the guy wasn't saying and he tamped down the fear that was trying to push to the surface. _What should he do now? How could they have figured it out?_ He shook his head and glanced around the nearly deserted parking lot. "Follow me," he said and leaned forward to start the truck. He had to get them somewhere far away from here, someplace where they could talk without the fear of being overheard.

*****

The miles flew by as Michael led the way out into a secluded area of the desert where he knew they wouldn't be overheard or interrupted by anyone else. He was driving without really thinking about where he was going; his mind was going in a dozen different directions, trying to come up with something, anything, that would rationalize this unexpected turn of events.

He could pretend he wasn't worried on the surface, but doubts were nagging at him deep inside where no one could see the fear. _What could they know? _he wondered. They had only met a couple of times and he couldn't recall doing anything that would have given him away.

They had passed each other in the hall at the basketball game and then in the parking lot after the game, but nothing overt had happened. He had been antagonistic when they had approached Maria after the game, but he hadn't done anything that would have required the use of any of his alien abilities. They had run into each other in Fraiser Woods recently when they had been chasing that sighting… the sighting that had led them to what he knew was an alien symbol burned into the ground. A symbol that had been gone the next day when Maria had gone back to the location of the sighting… and run into Isabel again.

If it had just been the eight of them that had been in the woods that night he might find it more suspicious, but the woods had been crawling with people searching for the elusive sighting. _It had been like some kind of party for freaks out there that night,_ he thought as he shook his head. They had just been a part of the bigger picture, racing through the woods looking for something that they weren't even certain existed.

In the car behind him Isabel was nervously biting her lips as she stared at the scenery passing by without really seeing any of it. She wasn't paying attention to where they were going, too busy going over everything that had led up to this moment and trying to decide what to say when they reached their destination. What happened next could be crucial to not only her life, but her brother's as well.

She frowned as she thought about Max. Tess seemed to be exhibiting the same control over him that she had used on Isabel herself and that made her anxious. She knew that Liz hadn't overlooked the attention that Tess was paying to Max, but Isabel had stayed away, worried that if she tried to intervene she'd be sucked back into that weird abyss.

She had seen Tess corner him at lunchtime, seen the way he immediately fell under her control, sitting and talking with her despite the fact that Liz had obviously been waiting for him at a different table. It hadn't taken long for Max' girlfriend to join them and her expression had been less than understanding when he had basically ignored her in favor of talking to Tess.

Halfway through lunch Liz had said something to Max and for a moment her hand had rested on his shoulder as she stood up. It had been enough to draw his attention away from Tess and after a quick glance at the blonde he had scrambled madly to move back away from the table and hurry after Liz. She had seen the look of annoyance on Tess' face and she hoped that Max had been able to explain in some manner that the attention he was paying to Tess had nothing to do with him, but she had stayed away from all of them, scared that she would run into Tess and not be strong enough to fight her when the other girl exerted the control she seemed to have where she and Max were concerned.

Her gaze shifted back to the truck they were following. _What if she and Alex were wrong about this guy?_ She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat as the fear of discovery reared its ugly head again. She knew they were out of options and if they were right about Michael he might be able to help them find a way to deal with Tess. _But, what if he wasn't who they thought he was? Or what if he was, but he was dangerous?_ No one knew where she and Alex had gone and they were about to reveal her biggest secret to a virtual stranger.

"Hey," Alex said when he noticed her silence, "you okay?"

"Do you think I should've said something to Max?"

"No." He shook his head and reached over to take her hand, squeezing it supportively. "You couldn't risk it, Iz. We don't know how she's able to do what she's been doin' to you and now that she's targeting Max, too? Huh-uh, that's the same reason why I didn't say anything to Liz to try and reassure her that Max payin' so much attention to Tess doesn't mean anything."

"Yeah, it's too risky," she said, her tone indicating that she was trying to convince herself.

"Right, we don't know enough about her to risk our investigation. I don't think Max or Liz is in any immediate danger and hopefully we'll know more after talkin' to Michael."

She nodded and looked around at the desert that stretched out around them. "Where is he taking us?"

"Probably someplace he feels safe," Alex answered. He wasn't completely comfortable with the secluded area the other guy had chosen because they didn't know enough about him to know if he was dangerous. But, he was trusting his instincts and he hoped they weren't leading him in the wrong direction. He took a deep breath when they turned onto another overgrown 'road' and after a few minutes the truck ahead of them stopped.

Isabel shifted in her seat to look at the rocky formations surrounding them on three sides and she swallowed hard when Michael stepped out of the truck and turned to stare at them. "He doesn't look happy," she muttered.

"Would you if you were in his place?"

"No."

He nodded and followed her lead when she reached for the handle to open the door. They moved to the front of his car and stood together as Michael crossed his arms over his chest and glared at them.

"Let's walk."

Isabel's mouth dropped open when he turned and walked through an opening in the large rocks, leaving them behind without a moment of hesitation.

Alex nudged her. "We should probably follow him."

She nodded and they hurried after him as he led the way through the desert, winding his way around an area that he was clearly familiar with. "Where the hell are we going?" she asked after they had been walking for almost fifteen minutes. _She could understand his need to ensure privacy, but this was ridiculous!_

Alex remained silent, taking mental notes of their path and their companion's behavior as he moved ahead of them.

Michael's mind was racing as he led them around in circles, hoping to disorient them, but he had a feeling that as much as her highness was bitching about everything from insects to wild animals to the inconvenience of hiking through the desert in a pair of shoes that probably cost more than several months worth of his allowance, that she probably had no idea that he was trying to confuse them.

Isabel swore when a mosquito buzzed past her ear and then settled on her neck and she smacked her palm against it, pulling it away and staring at the smeared remains of the tiny insect. "Do you see the size of this thing?" she demanded, showing it to Alex before brushing it away. "Have you noticed that we haven't seen any of these things at home? But, we come out here to the middle of nowhere and here they are! Now we know where they go during the winter…"

Michael glanced back over his shoulder in time to see Alex pull a little packet out of one of his jacket pockets and tear it open. He rolled his eyes when the guy shook out what was obviously an antibacterial wipe and handed it to her. But did the complaining stop there? No, before her hands had time to dry she was off and running about the next topic.

"You do realize that there are snakes out here, don't you?" she complained. "Scorpions, snakes, and who knows what else? Poisonous creatures, Alex, not to mention the kind of carnivorous animals roaming around out here!"

Alex took it all in stride, knowing that it was just her way of dealing with the stress and nervous tension the situation was causing. He could tell that it was annoying Michael though and he hid a smile when he noticed the way the guy's shoulders were tensing up.

After another ten minutes of listening to her tirade Michael stopped and jerked around abruptly, almost smirking when she fell into a shocked silence. "And you're datin' her? How do you put up with all this talkin'? Good luck, man."

Alex grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Uh-huh, well, you're datin' Maria DeLuca, so if one of us needs luck, it's definitely you."

Michael ignored that comment and turned away, leading them to the destination he had in mind for the meeting. They reached it a few minutes later and he turned to face them, feet planted wide, arms crossed over his chest, and his scowl firmly in place. "You wanted to talk, so talk."

Alex cleared his throat and glanced at Isabel, nodding in response to her silent request to start the conversation. "We've been doin' some research on adoption," he started and went on to explain how their investigation had led them to the Reservation.

"Uh-huh," Michael said, his tone indicating that he didn't believe the explanation. "So, you've come all this way to talk to me about bein' adopted?" His eyes narrowed when they remained silent. "Which I'm not, by the way… adopted, I mean."

Alex exchanged a quick look with Isabel. "Um…"

Isabel had been studying Michael, analyzing his expressions and behaviors, and examining her own feelings and reactions to him. Something about him was definitely speaking to her alien side and that combined with her fear of what had been happening with Tess had her taking a step forward and starting to talk.

"Twelve years ago I was found abandoned in the desert… wandering around naked, unable to communicate, and with no memory of anything before being found by my adoptive parents."

Michael was startled, but he hid it as he continued to observe her and try to determine where she was going with her information. He couldn't help but be reminded of the way he had been found in a very similar manner, but he refused to let himself get lost in the memories.

Isabel couldn't believe that hadn't gotten a comment or a reaction out of him and she felt her fingers beginning to twitch as her frustration grew.

"You were found the same way," Alex bluffed. They hadn't found any evidence that it was true, but if they were right about him chances were good that his discovery had been somewhat similar.

"Alone, in the desert," Isabel picked up from where he had left off. "No recollection of where you came from or how you ended up in the desert."

He didn't move or do anything overt that would give him away, but Alex saw the slight darkening of his eyes as they focused solely on Isabel and he wondered if they should've given this plan more thought before coming out here to confront him. His eyes moved over him, taking in every single movement no matter how seemingly insignificant and he reached out to place a warning hand on Isabel's arm when he noticed the way Michael's hands were clenching and unclenching.

Isabel shook his hand off, annoyed with the lack of response that she was getting from someone who quite possibly had at least some of the answers they were looking for. "I don't need you to confirm what we already know," she snapped. "I grew up with so many questions and no one to answer them… you know what that's like!"

"Isabel…"

"No, Alex!" She intentionally moved away from him to prevent him from distracting her. "He knows something and he's gonna tell us what it is."

Michael snorted as he leaned back against a large rock, his posture deceptively relaxed. "I don't know what you think I'm gonna tell you."

Isabel could feel her temper rising in the face of his disinterested tone. She thought about Tess and the strange influence she seemed to have over both her and Max and before long that feeling of desperation began to seep back in. "Tell us what you know about what you are!" she shouted finally and without thinking her hands shot up and several rocks and small desert plants exploded around them.


	98. Chapter 97

**Part 97**

Michael stared at the bits and pieces of shattered rocks and plants lying scattered around them. How was it possible? He had spent years searching for others like him and they had just been a few towns away the whole time!

"Well, that was subtle," Alex mused drily. "I don't recall that bein' one of the options we discussed."

Isabel was watching Michael as he processed the last few minutes, his expression incredulous as he looked around them. Her gaze was challenging when he looked up and their eyes met and locked. She wondered what he was thinking as he stood there, arms crossed over his chest, that same scowl on his face, and a dozen different questions burning in his dark eyes.

Michael's gaze slowly moved between them as he assessed the situation, his sharp mind turning the questions over rapidly as he sought the answers. _What should he do? Maybe he shouldn't do anything,_ he thought. He wasn't the one who had just blown his cover. _Should he say anything?_ Before he had fully considered his last question his mind connected the dots and things suddenly made sense.

"You're the reason," he mused aloud as he leaned back against the boulder at his back.

"Excuse me?"

He shook his head at her question. "You're the reason why he," he nodded at Alex, "and what's-her-name aren't friends with Maria anymore. You, your secret… it's why they chose to cut Maria out of their lives."

Alex and Isabel remained unmoving, frozen to the spot when he made his accusation. It was almost comical when their eyes met and he could almost see the doubts and questions being tossed back and forth between them. He laughed suddenly and even he could hear the nervousness that underlined it.

If this wasn't irony he didn't know what was. Maria and her friends had been hiding the same secret all along. _Wait, what about the other one?_ he questioned silently. _Maria's problem had started with the other two, hadn't it?_

"The other one," Michael snapped his fingers, waiting for one of them to give him the name he was searching for. "What's his name?"

Isabel frowned when he spoke again. "Max?"

"You're related to him, right? He's your brother?"

Her protective instincts kicked into overdrive. "Why?"

"I'm gonna assume that the two of you share certain… abilities. Your differences, for lack of a better word, were somehow discovered by him," he motioned to Alex again, "and what's-her-name, which rather quickly led to them shuttin' Maria out." He shook his head at the other guy. "You knew what that would do to 'er."

Alex winced at the accusation.

Isabel saw the look on Alex' face and she frowned at Michael. "You just assume you know why they didn't say anything to Maria, but you're wrong."

"So, it wasn't a matter of trust?" he asked sarcastically.

"No," she denied. "At least not on Alex and Liz' parts. It wasn't their trust that was ever in question; the trust issue was mainly mine."

"I wasn't talkin' to you."

"It wasn't a matter of trust for me or Liz," Alex said, repeating what Isabel had already offered as an explanation. He took a step forward, facing Michael directly. "How would you have felt if Maria had shared your secret with us against your wishes?"

Michael ignored the question. "Why didn't you tell her?"

"At first we couldn't say anything because it's not our secret to share and eventually it grew to include concern for Maria's safety." He immediately realized that he might have been better off not including that last bit of information because Michael's posture changed subtly, giving him a dangerous air, and Alex quickly shook his head. "She was never hurt – "

"Not physically anyway, huh?" Michael wasn't giving an inch. "You seem like a pretty smart guy, so you have to know there's more than one way to hurt someone."

"There was some concern – "

"I was worried Motormouth DeLuca wouldn't be able to keep her trap shut and our secret would end up all over town," Isabel interrupted.

Michael's sharp bark of laughter was so unexpected that it startled them. _They had been worried that Maria wouldn't be able to keep a secret,_ he thought, mentally shaking his head at their stupidity. The girl could talk a person's ears off, but she had proven her trustworthiness when she had learned the truth about him and never spoken a word of it to another living soul.

"Look, you can't blame – "

"I can blame all four of you," he interrupted, "and I do." His narrowed gaze locked on Alex and he turned the glare on full force. "You and what's-her-name knew – "

"Liz," Alex interjected.

"I don't really give a damn what either of your names are! My point is that the two of you didn't have to just shut 'er down the way you did. Do you even have any idea what your behavior did to Maria? I don't care how big the secret is, you could've easily explained that it wasn't somethin' you could talk to her about and she'd have understood that… she might not have liked it, but she would've respected it and she wouldn't have felt like you had just tossed her out with the garbage."

"You would've been fine with her tellin' us about you if our situations were reversed?" Alex challenged him.

Michael smirked. "Had there been any reason for the situations to be reversed you know as well as I do that she wouldn't have treated you the way you treated her."

"Look, I already told you that Alex isn't to blame," Isabel started only to be silenced when Michael turned his glare on her.

"Let me repeat myself once more, Martian Barbie," he grated out. "I'm not talkin' to you… this conversation is between me and your Earthling counterpart."

"You're right, okay?" Alex stepped between them before Isabel had enough time to pull herself together and retaliate for that last remark. "The situation wasn't handled the way it should've been and we can't go back and change it, all we can do is try to repair our friendship with Maria and hope she can forgive us so we can all move forward."

"I hope you're not expectin' my help with that."

"What we'd like is for you to listen to us, farm-boy," Isabel snapped. "We already know what you are."

He tuned her rant out as he watched her with an expression of disinterest on his face. _What they wanted was his trust,_ he thought. _Should he talk to them?_ She had already shown her hand, revealed her secret, so he couldn't exactly deny that she was like him. But at the same time he had a strong dislike for the group from Roswell; they had hurt Maria badly and now, somehow, they had figured out his secret.

He had his family to consider too, though, and making the wrong decision could put them in danger. He had to carefully weigh his options because he wouldn't risk hurting his family or putting them in a precarious position. _What if he made the wrong decision? What if he couldn't trust her?_

"How do I know I can trust you?" he asked finally.

Isabel pulled back, insulted by the question. "The fact that we took the first step and came to you or maybe the fact that I revealed my powers…" Her expression quickly shifted to irritation when he appeared unimpressed. "Fine," she huffed, "how about the fact that I have a family, too? I am completely endangering my relationship with my brother just by coming here, Michael! You have no idea how badly he's gonna react when he finds out why we came out here."

"I hope you've got somethin' better than that because I'm really not interested in your little drama." He rested his elbow on the boulder and stared at them. "What made you start investigatin' me? What is it about me that drew your interest?" He went on before she had time to begin answering him. "And why come out here without your brother?"

Alex could see what Michael was doing, easily identifying the baiting tactics he was using to get Isabel to talk. There was no denying that the guy was suspicious of their motives and he was studying Isabel, pinpointing every single hot button she had, his intention to push her and irritate her until she started to share information without even realizing it. _The guy was good,_ he thought when Isabel started talking.

Isabel couldn't imagine that telling him everything that she knew could be any riskier than revealing the truth about herself. She was desperate, terrified of Tess and what she might be capable of beyond what she had already witnessed. Alex had been adamant in his belief that Maria was completely trustworthy and that her loyalty was unquestionable, so if she was dating Michael he had to be someone who could be trusted.

He knew the moment she really had his attention though, because Michael suddenly straightened up and his expression intensified when the topic changed over to Tess.

Michael was worried as he listened to her explaining about the new girl, Tess, and the control she had been exhibiting over both Max and Isabel. He held no illusions that all aliens were friendly beings because his grandfather had told him about Nacedo. He could see the fear in Isabel, and the fact that she was willing to talk to him even though they weren't anywhere close to being friends spoke volumes.

_Could this Tess person be Nacedo? River Dog had never said anything about Nacedo exhibiting any type of mind control, but was it really out of the realm of possibility?_ It sounded like Isabel had good reason to be wary of Tess' intentions and if there was any chance that Tess and Nacedo was the same person he had to speak up. The girl, alien, whatever, was residing in the same town as Maria, attending the same school, using some form of mind control over two aliens, and he didn't believe in coincidence.

If Tess had found two aliens in Roswell, how close was she to locating him? If she were to learn of his existence it could put Maria and his family in danger and that was too much to risk. As the only two other aliens he knew of, it was possible that he might need Isabel and her brother to back him up at some point.

"My grandfather… he met Nacedo."

Alex and Isabel exchanged an incredulous look at his admission, but before either of them could speak he started speaking again. They listened as he told them about the alien his grandfather had met and how the old man was certain that the other alien was dangerous. In return they told him about their investigation into the letter and how it had led them to the code talker and another piece of the puzzle.

"So, the letter you found… there was a key with it?"

Isabel nodded.

"What'd it go to?" The couple exchanged another look and Michael rolled his eyes when he recognized their shock. "You didn't follow the key?"

"Hey, it's taken us this long to locate a code talker and get that letter translated," Alex said, shaking his head at Michael. He went on to share what Robert Silver Fox had been able to translate and he was surprised when Michael didn't have anything to say about them having a stranger read the letter.

Michael mused over what Alex had said for several minutes as he stared out into the desert. He wasn't concerned about the old man translating the letter; the man was not only a Navajo code talker, he was Native American. "So, according to the letter that this Atherton guy wrote, he knew Nacedo and after learnin' about this destiny thing he disagreed with it and began to believe that his life was in danger?"

Isabel nodded. "What do you think we should do?"

Michael turned his head to look at her once more, annoyance crossing his features. "How the hell should I know?" he snapped. _She didn't know him but she was coming here expecting him to just have all the answers and solve the problem? How the hell was he supposed to do that? They were gonna have to work together because he just couldn't see any other way around it. Damn it!_

"Okay, maybe we could start by investigating Tess," Alex suggested. "Whatever her motives are, it'd be better for all of us if we could find out more about her… know your enemy and all that."

Michael nodded. "That's the first semi-intelligent thing you've said today." He glanced at his watch and noted the time. "What we've talked about here… I won't keep it from Maria."

Alex shrugged his right shoulder. "And I won't keep it from Liz."

Isabel glanced at Alex as her thoughts wandered to her brother and she wondered if she would be able to tell him about this new development. Tess had focused her attentions on him and she had openly admitted to Isabel that she was attracted to him… _could they trust Max since Tess seemed to have targeted him? _ Her brother had been crazy in love with Liz for years, but the new girl shows up and distracts him with ease? It just didn't make sense. Nothing had ever been able to pull his attention away from Liz, but Tess shows up and suddenly Max is following her around like a lost puppy.

"Tomorrow's Saturday," she said. "Maybe we could meet at the old rock quarry outside of town. That way we can get Max away from home without Tess finding out and you can bring Maria – "

"I'm not springin' this on her tomorrow with all of you around," Michael growled.

"Look, I don't care when you spring it on her," Isabel yelled. "Just get her there so we can figure out what we're gonna do about Tess!" She stalked several yards away and stared at the sun as it began its evening descent.

"She's on edge," Alex said when Michael straightened up once more. "I've seen the control that Tess has used on Isabel and Max and I can't explain it, but I can tell you it's scared the hell outta her."

Michael nodded shortly. That would freak him out too. "We'll meet tomorrow," he agreed.


	99. Chapter 98

**Part 98**

Michael stared at the front door of Maria's house as if it had offended him in some way. As soon as he had led the others back out to the highway he had pressed the accelerator to the floor and he hadn't let up until he had reached the city limits of Roswell. He had driven straight to his girlfriend's house, barely remembering to turn the truck off and grab the keys before running up to the front door and banging on it to get her attention.

He growled under his breath and after several more minutes of useless pacing and glaring at the door he turned and jogged back to the truck. He slid in behind the steering wheel and scratched his eyebrow as he debated what he should do next. He finally decided to drive over to Main Street and located a payphone, parking in front of it and digging the necessary change out of the cup holder. He fed the change into the slot and punched in her cell phone number, listening to it ring several times before it went to voicemail.

When he had left the others he hadn't stopped to think that he should call to see if she was at home; his only concern had been getting to her with the information he had learned. He glanced at his watch and winced when he noticed the time. _Damn it! He needed to call and let his parents know he was going to be late for dinner._ He quickly made the call, relieved when Maggie answered the phone and said that their father was sleeping and their mother had picked up a few extra hours and wouldn't be home until after eight o'clock. He quickly hung up and started to drive back over to Maria's house to wait for her, but he did a u-turn at the next intersection and went to the Crashdown instead.

He ran inside and checked to see if she was working, but the waitress behind the counter informed him that Maria wasn't on the schedule until the next evening. He checked his watch again and drove back over to her house, certain that she would be home soon because, really, where else could she be? It wasn't long before he was out of the truck and pacing restlessly, watching the sky as daylight began to fade and dusk began to settle around him.

A pair of headlights caught his attention when a car turned onto the street and he nodded to himself when he recognized the Jetta. He moved away from the house as she swung into the driveway and just barely avoided getting hit when she slammed on the breaks. _They really needed to do something about the way she drove,_ he thought, annoyed.

"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded before she had fully stepped out of the car. "And why didn't you answer your phone when I called you?"

Maria narrowed her eyes as she stared at him. "I don't recall making plans with you for tonight," she snapped, irritated by his tone.

"We didn't have plans, but somethin' important came up and I needed to talk to you." He stalked around the car and grabbed her purse, rooting around until he found her cell phone. "Why do you even carry this stupid thing around if you're not gonna charge it?"

"Let's go inside," Maria insisted.

As soon as they were inside Michael threw the useless cell phone across the room, ignoring it when it bounced off of the couch cushion and fell to the floor. "What I've got to tell you is important, Maria! I drove all the way out here to talk to you and where're you at? Who knows! You're not at home, you're not at work, your stupid cell phone's dead and – "

"Oh, no, buddy!" she yelled, marching up to him and emphatically stabbing him in the chest with an insistent forefinger. "Don't come in here demanding to know where I am like you're the boss of me… like some… some overbearing, overprotective, Neanderthal, cretin!"

She was pacing around the room as she worked herself up to a full head of steam and Michael knew if he didn't stop it right away it was only going to get worse.

"Uh-uh, Michael Guerin, no way! And then you come in here and just throw my phone, probably damaging it, and you have no idea how much I'll have to pay if it's broken. No, no, let me rephrase that, you have no idea how much _you'll_ have to pay if you broke my phone! You might have something to tell me, but that is no excuse for – "

_Silence was a beautiful thing,_ Michael thought when he grabbed her arm and pulled her up against his chest, kissing her before she could get one more single word out.

Maria completely forgot all about her irritation with him as she melted against his big body and her hands fisted in his shirt to pull him closer.

He felt her relaxing and he gentled the kiss as he slowly backed away from her, gauging her expression to make sure she was calmer than before. He could easily lose himself in kissing her, but he had an important reason for being there and he needed to keep that in focus, so… mission accomplished.

"So, why did you say you were here?" Maria asked, running her fingertips over her lips.

"Where the hell have you been? I've been waitin' here for you because I've got somethin' important to tell you and you're nowhere to be found!"

"I've already explained that to you and I'm not gonna keep going over it again and again, you thick-headed alien! I can't believe that you're still going on about where I've been! You can't just come in here and kiss me like that's gonna silence – "

"I'm tryin' to tell you that your friend Alex and his girlfriend came out to see me, Maria. They know about me… that I'm an alien! And as it turns out, Isabel and her brother… they share that unearthly status, Maria!"

_Well, that was possibly more effective than the kiss had been,_ he thought and then quickly retracted it when she opened her mouth.

"What?"

Michael watched her closely. He had been expecting another rant, but she was silent as she processed the information.

Maria was incredulous. _How was that possible?_ Incredulity and shock quickly turned to anger at the realization that she and her friends had been keeping the same secret. All of the distance, the pain, the hurt… all because Liz and Alex had been hiding the same thing that she had been hiding. Fate, the universe, some incredibly cruel genie had been let out of the bottle and was playing havoc with them. To split them up for the very same reason seemed like the worst prank imaginable.

"That was never one of the possibilities that I would've guessed," Michael admitted.

"Ha! You were wrong about them being involved in drugs!"

He frowned, displeased that she had remembered that and was now pointing out that he had been wrong about something. "We're supposed to meet them at some old rock quarry tomorrow," he said to distract her.

"The one outside of town," she mused. "Of course, it's deserted and no one even goes out there for anything anymore." She paced around the room as she considered what he had told her. "So, we're meeting them… _all_ of them?"

"Yeah, early; around 8am."

"Why so early?" She shook her head before he could answer. "Forget that, tell me everything from the beginning."

Michael nodded and launched into the story, starting from the moment he had noticed his visitors in the parking lot at the school.

The old rock quarry outside of Roswell was silent as the six people stood facing each other. Wariness, suspicion, and hostility filled the cold air around them and it was Alex who finally made the first move, taking several steps to stand in the middle of the group.

"What're we doing here?" Max snapped irritably. His sister had woken him up at the crack of dawn and insisted that they needed to go meet Alex and Liz. The past few nights he hadn't slept well and he had the feeling that something was going on with Tess that was out of his control. If there was anything he hated it was feeling like he had no control over a situation.

Liz moved closer to Max and took his hand, hoping to calm him down so he would listen to what they had to tell him. She was still in shock after learning that Maria had been keeping the same secret she and Alex had been harboring for the past few months. When he had told her the night before she had been certain he was joking.

_Liz stared at Alex for several long seconds and then she suddenly burst out laughing. It wasn't until she noticed that he wasn't laughing that she realized he wasn't joking and she had immediately sobered up. "No, Alex, that's not possible."_

"_Why would I come to you with this if it were a joke? I could come up with somethin' a lot funnier than this if that was the case."_

"_You're serious…" she said slowly. "Maria's boyfriend is an alien."_

"We've been lookin' for answers," Alex said, pulling her attention back to the present. "And so – "

"What're you doing?" Max asked, cutting him off.

"Max, let him talk," Isabel insisted. "He knows what he's doing."

Maria glanced at Michael when the others started arguing amongst themselves. He was at the end of his patience with the situation and she was expecting it when he moved, pushing past Alex to face Max directly.

"Why don't you back off an' let him talk," he muttered, shoving the guy's shoulder.

Maria winced when he pushed Max, but Alex quickly moved to intercept him when he started to return the gesture.

"Okay, look, you two need to cut it out!" he shouted, standing between them with his arms outstretched to keep them apart.

"Getting between two confrontational aliens probably isn't the smartest thing to do, Alex," Isabel said.

Max's head snapped to the side when his sister's words registered. _What was wrong with them? Why were they revealing such sensitive information to this guy?_

"That's right, the big secret's out," Michael said mockingly.

Max turned to Liz and he saw the truth in her expression. His gaze slowly moved over the others until it settled on Michael. "Prove it," he challenged.

"What, that you're an alien?"

Liz took her boyfriend's hand again. "Max, just let them explain."

"You knew about this?"

"Alex told me last night what he and Isabel had found out."

"But, you didn't tell me," Max said, his expression stony.

Liz chewed on her lips, worried about his behavior. It wasn't that she didn't trust him; it was Tess that she didn't trust. Tess and the way she acted around Max. "No. Tess has shown an unusual interest in you and she's had a strange effect on both you and Isabel, so we couldn't risk it. She's always showing up unannounced and we had to get you away from home before she came looking for you. We were worried that she might follow us and since we don't know enough about her we felt it was too dangerous.

"Max, we've been looking for answers," Isabel said. "This's where all the information has led us… to someone else like us. The stuff in the letter gave us what we needed to find him and he's looking for the same things we are. Look, the only reason we didn't tell you what we were doing was because of Tess. The more time I spent with her the more influence she seemed to have over me… at times I wasn't sure if I was doing things because I wanted to or because she was somehow making me do them. It was the same thing when she would ask questions; it's like she's looking for something and I'd be telling her too much before I realized it, but I couldn't stop myself."

Max studied her features as she talked and he realized that he knew exactly what she was talking about. "Did you ever feel like you were missing time? Like you couldn't remember what you had been doing or where you'd been?"

"Yeah, several times."

"Did she ever ask you about all the research you've been doin'?" Michael asked, frowning.

Isabel shook her head. "Not me, no. Anytime something like that came up she quickly lost interest."

"What about you?"

Max bristled when Michael turned to look at him. "I didn't tell her anything."

"Uh-huh." Michael crossed his arms over his chest. "How d'you know?" He glanced at Isabel. "How do either of you know? You've both admitted there were instances where you lost time, so how can you be sure you didn't tell her anything?"

"We just told you – "

"No, Max, he's right," Isabel interrupted. "We don't know for sure."

"Okay, guys, we don't know what information she has," Alex said, trying to get them back on track. "Depending on what she knows and what she intends to do with that information we're all potentially in danger."

"How could you guys think that I couldn't be trusted with this?" Maria asked, suddenly interrupting the conversation going on around her. She had intended to stay cool and not let them know how much it still hurt, but she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"They couldn't – "

"No!" she shouted, holding a hand up when Isabel tried to explain. "I want an answer from them, not you!" She shook her head sadly. "We were best friends our whole lives… how could you not trust me? Maybe you couldn't have told me what the big secret was or who you were protecting, but you didn't have to just shut me out! I would've respected that you had something going on that you couldn't share with me, you know that! Yeah, okay, it would've driven me crazy, but you didn't have to just treat me like that!"

Liz took a step towards Maria, desperately wanting to explain but having a difficult time trying to find the words. Before she could gather her thoughts Michael interfered and the opportunity passed by.

"Hey, hey, c'mere," Michael muttered, tugging her into his arms. He could see the telltale signs of an impending emotional outburst, the kind that would have her crying in front of all of them, and he knew she'd hate that. "Why don't we focus on why we're here and leave the rest of it for later." He glared at the others. "I don't really give a damn about you or your reasons for doin' what you did. I'm just here to find out what you know."


	100. Chapter 99

**Part 99**

Liz watched him, not missing the way he held Maria close, his words and harsh tone a direct contrast to his gentle care where his girlfriend was concerned. _Maria was right,_ she thought. There had been ways to get around telling her the secret while still maintaining their friendship, but they had gotten so wrapped up in the big secret and they hadn't just let her slip away, they had pushed her away.

Maria felt herself calming down by degrees as Michael continued to rub her back while he stated his opinion of the situation. She couldn't help the smile that lifted her lips at the corners when he informed them that he didn't care about them at all because the only thing he was interested in was getting down to what they knew.

"We don't even know this guy!" Max exploded as he looked between all of them.

"Max, our research was solid and we're certain he's one of the two others mentioned in the letter," Isabel spoke up before her brother could get sidetracked. "Look, we talked to him yesterday; he was found the same way we were, he's been looking for answers, too, and that other alien mentioned in the letter? The one named Nacedo? His grandfather has met him!"

"_He_ could be Nacedo for all you know!"

"So could Tess," Michael said. He hadn't spoken loudly, but with three words he had the attention of everyone there. "This girl's exhibited abilities well above what an average human is capable of. To me that indicates that there's a possibility that there's somethin' not human about her and we need to look into it."

Isabel opened her mouth to remind him that Alex was the one who had suggested that they look further into Tess and her presence in Roswell, but Alex nudged her and shook his head subtly.

"You're suggesting that we should investigate Tess?" Max asked, taking a mental step back.

"That would make the most sense," Maria said, finally speaking up. "If this Tess person is dangerous to the three of you then we need to – "

"Oh, no," Michael interrupted her, "you're not gonna be involved in this."

"Wanna bet? You couldn't investigate your way out of a wet paper sack without my help."

"We're not getting into this right now, Maria. The important thing is to find out what everyone here knows and then to establish a plan of action."

"Fine," she said, waving her right hand dismissively, "establish away, but you're not investigating without my help."

Michael let her comment go unchallenged. She could believe she was going to be involved in the investigation all she wanted because he knew differently. "This girl's already gotten too close to the two of you and if she's somehow manipulatin' you into tellin' her stuff then we have a problem. We need to start investigating her and we need to get started yesterday."

"You've got an idea?" Isabel asked curiously.

"She's made it a point to be your new best friend; we can use that to our advantage. As long as she thinks she's got the upper hand we can use that against her. The question is, how do we keep you from fallin' under her influence?"

"That's not a very good plan," Maria said, shaking her head. "She knows about you too, now! If Tess is able to get her to talk without her even realizing it then that puts you in danger."

Michael propped his hands on his hips as he turned to look at her. "Which is why we'll figure out a way to keep that from happenin', and if you were listenin' you would've heard me say that."

"Do not start acting like this, Michael."

He held his hands up. "Look, we'll figure somethin' out; I'm not gonna put her in a position that puts her or any of the rest of us in danger."

"Who put you in charge?"

He turned to look at Max when he spoke up. "I don't see you comin' up with any bright ideas," Michael snapped. "Tess is a threat, can we all agree on that?" He nodded when the others made sounds of agreement. "Alright then, we need to establish how much of a threat she is and then we need to figure out how to deal with it."

"Okay, say Isabel does this," Alex said before an argument could break out. "What're we gonna be doin' while she's keepin' Tess busy?"

Michael shook his head. "No, we're not doin' this to keep her busy; we're doin' it to get inside her house." He held his hands up when Max and Alex both started to protest that plan. "Maria says you're a computer nerd – "

"I prefer geek over nerd, but – "

"How is that relevant to the conversation?" Michael interrupted. "The point is you have access to a ton of computer stuff, right? You know how to use video and audio equipment pretty proficiently, right?"

Alex nodded. "Well, yeah, but I still don't see where you're goin' with this…" His eyes widened as it suddenly clicked. "Oh, audio and video… you're talkin' about surveillance equipment. You wanna plant a bug in her house?" He couldn't contain his excitement at the prospect of actually getting to use his knowledge in the investigation.

"I'm not talkin' about just audio; I'm talkin' video, too." Michael's eyebrows lifted in question. "You got access to that kinda equipment?"

Alex mused over that for several minutes. "I know where I can get my hands on that type of equipment, but we could have a problem with signal strength. We're gonna have to be in relatively close proximity to pick up the signal."

"Makes sense." Michael nodded. "Okay, Isabel, d'you know where she lives?"

Isabel shook her head negatively. "No, we've never hung out at her place."

"We need that information so we can scout around for locations to set up our stakeout. You," he said, pointing at Liz, "no one's gonna question you bein' in the office… you find out what her address is."

"I can't just walk into the office and start going through student files."

"Use your brain and come up with a cover story… use your alien boy-toy to distract the office people… I don't care what you have to do, just get that address." He motioned to Alex. "You work on getting your hands on that equipment, the sooner the better. Isabel, you start makin' contact with Tess again, tell her you wanna hang out or somethin'. Keep it casual at first… matter of fact, get her to hang out with you and Alex; he'll keep you grounded and prevent her from influencing you until we figure somethin' else out."

"What about me?" Maria asked, annoyed that she had been left out of the plans.

"You… you stick with me. We're gonna scout locations once we know where Tess lives and what kinda range we're lookin' at with the surveillance equipment."

"So, basically, I'm just gonna be around so you can keep an eye on me?"

"Maria," he growled in warning.

She just looked at him. "Isn't Tess gonna be suspicious if Isabel wants to hang out with her while dragging Alex along? She hasn't once invited him to hang out with them since she met Tess."

"Okay," Michael conceded grudgingly, "you may have a small point there."

"A small point?" she echoed, warming up to her topic. "Michael, it's the weekend; we have a very small window to extract vital information before we have to go home. We all have parents who want to know where we are once a certain time rolls around. That means we don't have time to wait for Monday to come around so Liz can go and search for an address."

Michael crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at her. "And what's your big plan?"

"Oh, I don't know… why not just have Isabel call her and ask her if she wants to go to a movie? A movie would be loud, distracting, and it wouldn't allow Tess to do whatever weird voodoo magic she's been doing on these two. And while they're out doing that, Alex can be gathering up the equipment we need to do the surveillance on Tess."

"Uh-huh, and how does that translate into Isabel getting her hands on the camera that Alex is supposed to be gathering before goin' to Tess' house?"

The others watched the couple as they debated scenarios, their gazes bouncing back and forth from Maria to Michael and back again.

"Alright, that does present a challenge," she mused. "Okay, why not have Alex call Isabel after the movie – "

"During the movie," Michael countered.

"Well, why would he call during the movie?"

"You're the one over here havin' a fit about things bein' suspicious; if he waits an' calls her after the movie lets out then it's gonna be totally obvious."

"Fine, he calls her during the movie… she'll check her phone, see it's Alex, comment about it to Tess, and then she can send him a text letting him know they're at a movie and she'll call him after it lets out."

He nodded. "That makes sense."

Maria made a face at him. "Of course it makes sense, I said it."

"Um, not to interrupt, but what exactly will I be callin' about?" Alex asked.

Michael glanced at him. "Homework. You're callin' about homework… you're the kinda guy who does homework on a Saturday and chances are Tess has already picked up on that. They stop by your house and Isabel runs in to get the bogus homework because you're goin' out to dinner with your parents – "

"Well, my dad's outta town right – "

"Fine, dinner with your mom; it doesn't really matter just as long as it's believable."

"And what're we gonna be doing while everyone else is occupied?" Max asked, not sure he cared for the way this guy had just come into the group and started making decisions for everyone.

Michael turned his head to look at the other guy. He opened his mouth to tell Max exactly what he and Liz could go do with themselves, but Maria's hand on his arm stopped him and he took a deep breath. "I suppose the only place for the two of you to be is with us," he grated out.

"Why?"

He shook his head at the question. "Why?" he echoed. "Because Tess seems to be fixated on you and that's a problem."

"Alright, so, first order of business is for me to call Tess and see if she's free to go to a movie later today?" Isabel asked, clarifying before the guys could get into an argument.

"We can do that while we're drivin' back into town," Alex said. "The rest of you can meet up at my place around noon. That'll give me time to get the equipment and for Isabel to call Tess and get the movie time figured out."

"Which means I'll need the jeep when I leave for the movie."

Max turned to look at his sister. "For what?"

"I can't exactly tell Tess I'm out shopping or whatever and offer to go by her place to pick her up if I'm walking, now can I?"

"Oh. Right."

"Besides," Michael added, "if you're with us you won't need to go anywhere."

"We're gonna go then," Alex spoke up. He held his hand out to Isabel and as soon as she took it they turned to walk back to his car.

"So, we should just meet you guys at Alex's house at noon then," Liz said, glancing between Maria and Michael.

"Yeah, we'll see you there." Michael didn't bother trying to drag the conversation out because he wasn't interested in making friends with them. He glanced at Maria, concerned about her continued silence now that she was facing the girl who was once her confidant and they had nothing left to talk about. "C'mon, let's go get somethin' to eat; I'm hungry."

Despite the gruff words Maria could hear the caring tone in his voice and she slid her hand into his as they walked to her car. He accepted the keys when she held them out to him; he didn't bother asking any questions, just got in behind the wheel and started the engine.

Michael turned the radio on, scanning the stations until he found one that was tolerable. When Maria didn't complain about his choice of music he knew that she was lost in her thoughts and he decided to let her be for a while. She was a talker so he knew when she had sorted things out in her head she would let him know that she was ready to talk.

Maria wasn't paying any attention to the landscape flying past the windows as they drove back to town. Her thoughts were still out at the quarry, and more specifically, with Liz and Alex. The situation they were faced with was serious, probably dangerous, so they hadn't really had the time to focus on things like their deteriorated friendship. Thinking about it now, she wondered if it was a matter of waiting for some 'right' time or if it was more a matter of making the time.


	101. Chapter 100

**Part 100**

Alex kept an eye on Isabel as she made the phone call to Tess, listening as the girls made plans to meet later in the afternoon after Isabel was finished 'shopping'. He knew Isabel wasn't completely comfortable with her part of the plan; the fact that Tess was doing something to her and Max, causing them to have lapses in memory, made her nervous and he could understand that.

"Okay, we're all set," she said after disconnecting from the call. "I think I'd like this a lot more if you were going with me."

"You want me to follow you? Go to the same movie, sit back a few rows?"

"No, we need you handling the surveillance equipment. I can just imagine what would happen if that was left up to my brother and Michael. Just make sure you send that text during the movie and if I don't call you within 15 minutes or so of it letting out, call me back."

He reached over to take her hand. "We'll figure this out."

She looked down when her phone vibrated and she flipped it open, scanning over the text message before holding it up for him to see. "Tess' address."

He nodded. "Looks like we have somethin' for our scouts to do," he said with a smile. "Alright, I've gotta go see a friend to get that equipment, but if you'd rather not go with me then I can drop you off at home and pick you up after I've got it."

Isabel shook her head. "No, that's okay. I'll just go with you."

"The equipment actually belongs to the friend's older sister and if anything happens to it she won't be forgiving."

"Why does she have that kind of equipment?"

He laughed and shrugged one shoulder. "She's goin' to college to be a photojournalist and she has aspirations of uncovering some big government conspiracy one day."

"How ironic," Isabel said with a small laugh. "And we're borrowing her equipment to uncover our own conspiracy."

"She's got a lot of this stuff so I'm gonna find out if she's got an earpiece you can wear; they're small and virtually unnoticeable. It would allow you to hear me, keep you from getting pulled into her little mind games."

"You didn't mention that earlier."

"I don't know for sure that she has that equipment and even if she does I didn't think you'd want everyone knowin' about it."

She smiled at his thoughtfulness and settled back in her seat, feeling a little better about the plan they had just put into action.

Michael sat on the foot of the bed, watching Maria as she moved around her bedroom rearranging things, straightening things up, and folding and refolding several pieces of clothing that had been lying around when they had entered the room. He could see the determined expression on her face and he knew she was trying to distract herself so she wouldn't have to think about the afternoon ahead of them.

"So, what do you think about the situation with Tess?" she asked finally.

"I think we need to know more about her and this's the best way to do it." He shrugged. "At least it's the best option we've got for now."

"What if she's Nacedo?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "But for us to get to that point we've gotta learn everything we can about her first. What her connection is to us if there is one, if she has a connection to Nacedo and what it is, how she found the dynamic duo here in Roswell, and if she knows anything about me."

"Do you think there's any connection between her appearance in Roswell and the recent sighting in Frasier Woods?"

"I don't believe in coincidence." He shook his head. "In just the last week we've had a sighting with an alien symbol that according to River Dog is authentic, I've got a group of people I don't know who suddenly know about me, two of those people are aliens, and there's some girl who's most likely also an alien stalking them. Now we've just gotta figure out how all the pieces fit together."

"So we can get answers."

He nodded, tipping his head to one side when she paused in her pacing to turn and look at him. "What?"

"What if these answers aren't the ones you want? Are you gonna be able to deal with that?"

"We'll deal with it when that time comes. For now we've got more important things to deal with. Like how this's gonna affect you, my family, and your friends. We also need to determine if Tess is a threat, and if she is what we're gonna do about that."

Maria nodded as she started rearranging the framed photographs on top of her dresser. "I suppose that's true."

"Maria?"

"Hmm?"

"How many times are you gonna move those pictures around and fold those same two shirts?" He shook his head when she turned and glared at him. "I know sittin' around with them in what's-his-face's garage wasn't what we were expecting to spend our time on today, and it's not like you really got much of a chance to prepare for it, but we can't let this opportunity get away from us."

Maria raised her head and met his gaze in the mirror. She knew avoiding her old friends wasn't an option in this scenario and Michael knew it as well. He wasn't much of a talker and he really didn't like her friends, but he was making an effort for her sake so she made a conscious decision to avoid placing that burden on his shoulders. _Besides there were more important matters at stake,_ she thought as she turned and walked over to him.

Michael decided not to push the subject any further when she made herself comfortable in his lap and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Thanks, Michael," she whispered against his lips as she leaned in to kiss him.

Liz followed Max with her eyes as he paced back and forth across her rooftop balcony but it wasn't a conscious observation. Her mind was busy turning things over, thinking about how quickly things were changing, and how she should deal with the situation where Maria was concerned. She didn't know what to say to Maria or even if she should be the one to start that conversation.

"Hey, Max?"

"Hmmm?"

"Considering the circumstances, do you think I should try to talk to Maria or should I wait for her to talk to me?"

He turned and leaned back against the short wall that ran the perimeter of the balcony, his brow furrowed as he considered her question. "I'm not sure which approach would work best with her and I don't really know her, but she seemed pretty upset earlier. Of course, she also seems like the kinda person who prefers to deal with things directly."

"Yeah. I just don't know if I even have any right to approach her and try to apologize or talk to her." She sighed and leaned back in the chaise lounge, staring up at the sky. "It might not even matter because her boyfriend's gonna be there and he's not exactly easy to deal with."

"No, easy's not a word I'd use in relation to that guy," Max mused out loud. He wondered if he would ever be able to get along with Michael. They were complete opposites and the only thing he could think of that they had in common was their alien status. "I still can't believe Isabel just went out there and told him who we are."

"She and Alex were careful, Max."

"What if they had been wrong?"

"Maybe we should just focus on the fact that they were right," Liz suggested. "Tess makes Isabel nervous and yeah, they took a huge risk approaching him and revealing the truth, but she seems to be pretty sure Michael's involvement is important. And to be honest, I don't like that Tess seems to be focusing on you." She shook her head. "Especially if she's doing something and neither you nor Isabel has any memory of it afterwards."

"Well, for now her attention seems to have shifted away from Isabel."

"Do you think she could be an alien?"

"I think it's too early to rule that possibility out and it would explain why Isabel and I were both drawn to her."

"You don't really have any interest in her though, right?"

"What? No." He crossed the space separating them to sit down next to her. "Liz, believe me when I tell you that whatever's going on it has nothing to do with attraction on my side." He reached up to brush her hair back away from her cheek. "Hey," he nudged her chin up, "you've always been the one for me, Liz. I don't know what's going on with Tess, but I'm not encouraging it and I don't want it."

"Maybe I should stay with you all the time so she won't have an opportunity to mess with you," she joked weakly.

"That's probably not a bad idea. We don't know why she's targeting me, but that could make her a threat to you." He scratched his head as he thought about that. "I don't know, maybe you shouldn't be around me in case she is dangerous."

"And I think it's better if we stick together; there's safety in numbers."

He nodded. "Yeah. I just don't want you to get hurt if there's something going on with her."

"Max, we've always known that the potential for danger existed."

"So, we'll just act like everything's normal." He thought about that for a moment. "Yeah, and we'll find out more about what the others think about this situation when we meet over at Alex's place."

Liz glanced at her watch. "Yeah, we should probably get ready to head over there. It's almost time for Isabel to leave to meet up with Tess."

Alex kept an eye on Isabel as he finished hooking up the equipment he had borrowed from his friend's older sister. He closed the hard plastic case and slid it under the work table he was sitting at. "You ready for this?" he asked carefully.

Isabel fussed with the band's instruments, finally sitting down next to him and leaning against his shoulder. "You'll be with me the whole time, right?"

"Every step of the way," he promised. He reached for the last case, opening it up and lifting out the tiny box packed in the foam insert. He lifted the lid and placed the box on the table in front of them, motioning for her to check it out. "Go on, it won't bite you."

She leaned forward to look at the tiny ear bud nestled inside the dark grey foam and she reached for it, placing it in the palm of her hand and studying it. "It's so tiny," she mused quietly.

"Um-hmm, no one will ever notice it," he assured her. "Go ahead and put it in." He connected more things that she didn't recognize, humming to himself as he waited for her to insert the ear bud and situate it so that it was comfortable. "Okay, you lemme know when you're ready."

"Can you tell I'm wearing it?" She turned her head to the side and waited for him to decide whether or not the device was visible.

"Huh-uh, not at all."

"How will you hear me?"

He smiled and made a waving motion at the necklace she was wearing. "Can I borrow that for just a minute?"

She unclasped the necklace and handed it to him, watching curiously as he carefully removed the locket and ran the thin gold chain through the tiny loop on a small heart-shaped pendant. "What is it? Some kind of listening device?"

He nodded. "That's exactly what it is. You ready to test it?"

"Okay." She glanced around the garage. "Should I go outside or…?"

"Mom's not home, so why don't you walk in the house and let's see how we do with reception when we've got some distance and walls between us."

Isabel walked outside and around to the back of the house, knowing that he had left the back door unlocked. "Can you hear me?" she asked, feeling stupid for talking when no one was around.

"You're comin' in loud and clear, Isabel."

She felt relieved when his voice came through clearly and she leaned against the counter in the kitchen for a moment, trying to force herself to relax. She reached up and rubbed the pendant he had used to replace her locket and she froze when she heard him tapping the microphone to get her attention.

"Don't do that or all I'm gonna hear is static."

She dropped the pendant and smiled at his chastising tone. "No one else will know that you're talking to me, right?" She frowned when he didn't immediately respond but within seconds she realized that she could hear her brother in the background. "Is that Max?"

"You guys are here a little bit early," Alex said.

"We just wanted to get started with this thing," Max responded. "Where's Isabel?"

"She ran inside to grab a drink. She'll be back in a minute."

Isabel smiled. No one knew that he was talking to her, they didn't even realize it. She felt much better now that she knew they wouldn't know how much she was really relying on him to keep her calm. She grabbed a couple of drinks and headed back out to the garage.


	102. Chapter 101

**Part 101**

Maria took her time as she opened the car door and stepped out onto the driveway in front of Alex's house. She looked up at the house for several long seconds before a small, unsubtle shove from behind got her attention and she turned her head to glare at Michael.

"Don't get lost in all that stuff, Maria."

A small smile lifted the corners of her lips when she heard his muttered words but instead of commenting she turned and led the way up to the garage. The large overhead door had been left open and they could see the others sitting around a table at the back.

"Lemme guess, he's a musician."

"What gave it away?" Maria asked, knowing it was impossible to miss the musical instruments and various pieces of equipment scattered around the garage.

He rolled his eyes before motioning to the house next to the garage. "What about his parents?"

"His dad's probably out of town, his mom's most likely at a book club meeting or shopping or something." She shrugged. "Even if they were home they wouldn't come out here. His parents kinda gave him the garage when he started getting into music." She smiled at the memory. "I think his mom just wanted him to take all that noise he was making out of the house."

"So, they never come out here?"

"No, they pretty much just leave him alone when he's out here being creative."

Michael nodded when they reached the open door and Maria paused. "You ready for this?"

"As ready as I'm gonna be." She took a deep breath and they crossed over the threshold, entering the garage. She tried to ignore the feeling of being the outsider when they all turned to look at them.

"Hey, Maria," Alex greeted, raising his hand to wave.

"Alex." She waited to see if Liz would speak up and after several painful seconds she saw the other girl swallow hard before offering a halting greeting.

"Were you able to get your hands on that equipment?" Michael asked, stepping around Maria to walk over to the table and look at the laptop the others had been focused on when he and Maria had stepped inside the garage. He knew she was having a hard time with the upcoming afternoon and he didn't want her to get lost in that and forget why they were there.

Alex answered before anyone could speak up and destroy the tentative truce they had established. "Hey, yeah, and we lucked out, too."

"How so?" Michael asked, ignoring the others as he focused on the equipment.

"The transmit range on this thing gets up to 15 miles. That degrades depending on the amount of objects like walls, cars, whatever, standing between you and your target, but since we live in Roswell…" he shrugged with a grin. "Well, we could spy on anyone here in town and still be in plenty of range for receiving transmissions."

"You've got it set up to run the video through your laptop?"

"Um-hmm." He turned to hand a small piece of equipment, smaller than a quarter, to Michael. "This thing will track your movements even though the camera itself will be stationary. It has what they call a roving eye; it'll follow any motion within its range."

"What about the audio? Is the equipment capable of picking up audio?"

"Not the camera, no," Alex answered. "But, we'll be able to pick up audio while Isabel's with Tess." He shrugged. "She's probably more likely to reveal somethin' while she's talkin' to Isabel anyway."

"Alright, you guys are still goin' to a movie this afternoon, right?" Michael asked, looking at her.

Isabel nodded. "Yeah, I'll be leaving in a few minutes to go pick her up. We checked her address and she lives about two miles from here."

"How far away's the theater?"

Alex exchanged a look with Isabel. "Less than five minutes."

"So, we can be there in no time if it looks like something's not right," Michael muttered, unknowingly reassuring Isabel.

"How is Isabel supposed to plant the camera?" Max asked, speaking up for the first time since the last couple had arrived.

"All she's gotta do is find someplace inconspicuous to place it so most of the room will be in view."

"How's she gonna know if it's right?"

"Because we've already gone over that," Isabel interrupted before Alex could answer. "I know what I'm doing and when I get over there and place the camera you'll see that there's nothing to worry about."

"Chill out, Max," Alex said, attempting to ease the tension that had settled over the garage. "Like Isabel said, she and I have already gone over the necessary information and she's more than ready for this." He reached out and took the tiny camera from Michael, handing it over to Isabel for safekeeping.

Isabel put it away and held her hand out to her brother, right eyebrow raised expectantly. "Keys," she snapped after several seconds of waiting.

Michael smirked at the look of annoyance that crossed her perfect features when Max didn't immediately hand the keys over.

"Maybe we should consider doing this a different way," Max said, glancing between the others. "We don't know how dangerous this could be."

"I appreciate the concern, Max," Isabel said, relaxing when she realized he was just worried about her. "I'll be fine and if anything goes wrong you guys are here to stop it." She glanced at Alex and smiled slightly when she saw the brief nod of agreement.

"What time are you supposed to be meetin' Tess?" Michael asked, impatient to get started.

Isabel checked her watch. "I should get going. If I get there late she'll be rushing so we can get to the movie on time."

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "You wanna take your time figuring out where to put that camera." He motioned for her to walk with him as he turned to head for the door. "C'mon, I'll walk you out." He waited until they were far enough away that they wouldn't be overheard before speaking. "Don't forget," he said, reaching up to take her hand when she reached for the necklace, "that interferes with the audio. Plus, it's a dead giveaway that you're nervous and you don't want her to see that."

She nodded. "Right… the others can't hear us right now, right?"

"No, I cut the audio before we came out here just in case you had any last minute questions before you leave."

"I think we've covered everything." She settled into the drivers' seat and her hands rubbed over the steering wheel.

"We're less than five minutes away if anything goes wrong," he assured her.

"Okay." Isabel took a deep breath and started the engine. "I'll see you later, Alex."

He waited for her to back out of the driveway and turn the corner at the end of the street before he walked back up to the garage.

Tess opened the front door before the doorbell had even stopped chiming and she smiled when she saw Isabel standing on the porch. "Hi, you're early."

Isabel controlled her expression as she tried to determine if Tess sounded accusatory or suspicious. "Yeah, I finished shopping a little early. I hope that's okay?"

"No, no, that's fine." She took a step back and held the door open. "Come on in. Do you mind waiting in the living room? The movers just got here with our stuff yesterday so the place is a mess."

"Sure, just point me in the right direction."

Tess led the way to the large living room and Isabel moved around several stacks of boxes in various stages of unpacking. "I'd offer you a drink, but I haven't found the dishes yet. I'm starting to think they either broke them or lost them during the move."

"Want me to look around while you're getting ready?"

"No!" Tess answered quickly and then forced a smile when she realized how sharp her response had been. "I mean, no, of course not." She waved a hand dismissively. "My dad and I will get that taken care of over the next few days and besides, we're going to a movie and we don't wanna be late, right?"

Isabel nodded and forced a smile. "Right. Well, I'll just wait for you here then." She took a seat on the couch and picked up a magazine, wishing she couldn't feel Tess' gaze on the back of her neck.

"I'll be ready in just a few minutes," Tess called as she walked out of the room.

"Alright, take your time." Isabel glanced at her watch. "We've got at least 20 minutes before we need to leave." She relaxed when Tess' response came from far enough away that she had to strain to hear her words. She smiled when she heard the voices coming through the hearing device she was wearing.

"I don't like it," Michael was saying. "She seemed suspicious. And why'd Isabel go an' ask if she could help unpack?"

"She's just makin' conversation, Michael," Alex said and she could almost see him shaking his head. "Offering to help unpack is somethin' girls do."

"Okay, here we go," Isabel whispered as she reached into her pocket and pulled the camera out, holding it between two of her fingers as she stood and started moving around the room.

"What's she doin' now?" Michael demanded. He was pacing back and forth as he watched the screen on the laptop, his sharp gaze taking in every inch of the room being shown.

"She's tryin' to decide on the best place to put the camera," Alex answered patiently. "Just give her a few minutes. You've gotta remember, she's relying on what we talked about when it comes to what can be seen by the camera… she can't see what we're seein'."

Max shook his head. "We should've just gone in there after they went to the movie. How's she gonna place that camera?"

"You guys need to relax. Hmm-mm," he murmured and shook his head when she set the camera down in another place that didn't give it a clear view of the room. He smiled to himself when she picked it up and moved again.

Maria was sitting on one of the chairs scattered around the garage, nervously waiting for the camera to be placed before Isabel could get caught. She didn't know how this new girl was connected to Michael or the others, but she was sure that something wasn't right with Tess. She glanced up when her boyfriend spoke again.

"Okay, that looks good, right there." He pointed at the screen. "That's gotta be the best position; it puts most of the room in view and it covers two entries."

"Relax, she's leavin' it there."

"How do you know? She's put the damn thing down and moved it a dozen times in the last few minutes." Michael didn't know Isabel, but he didn't like her being out there trying to plant a camera with Tess just a matter of a few rooms away. There were too many variables, too many things they didn't know about Tess and the situation, and even though they were only five minutes away a lot could happen in that short amount of time.

Alex was relieved when the camera settled and became stationary less than a minute before Tess entered the room and asked Isabel if she was ready.

"I'm ready if you are," Isabel said, hoping her voice didn't betray the feeling of nervous tension that had settled over her while looking for a suitable place to hide the camera. She shot a quick glance at the tiny device when Tess turned to lead the way out of the room. It was carefully hidden in a small knothole in the wooden planks that formed the wall over the fireplace in one corner of the room.

"I was so glad you called and wanted to get together to go see a movie," Tess said enthusiastically. "I was starting to think maybe I had been too forward and scared you off or something."

"I've just been really busy with homework and some family stuff," Isabel lied as she pulled the keys out of her pocket.

"Hmm, Max hadn't mentioned that."

Isabel glanced at the other girl as they settled in the jeep. "Oh, you've been talking to Max?"

"We've run into each other on a few occasions. I know you said he's really into his girlfriend, but I'm really not getting that feeling from him."

"Really?"

Max shook his head when Liz turned to look at him. "Liz, she's lying. I told you, I don't know what her deal is, but she's trying to divide us."

Isabel winced when she heard her brother pleading with his girlfriend to believe him. She could live without their disgusting public displays of affection, but she had no doubts that Max had never given Tess a second thought of his own free will.

"Should you drop me off at the front so I can run grab the tickets while you park?" Tess asked, seemingly oblivious to the path of destruction she was leaving in her wake. She hopped out of the jeep when Isabel pulled up in front of the movie theater and motioned to the side where she would be waiting with the tickets.


	103. Chapter 102

**Part 102**

An uncomfortable silence had settled over the garage and it was only getting worse as the minutes passed and the movie droned on in the background. Alex was sitting in front of the laptop, fingers drumming on the table and revealing the tension he was trying to hide. The girls hadn't said a word since the movie had started almost an hour before, just the occasional laugh at whatever was happening on the screen. He turned around to look at the others, thinking maybe he could engage them in conversation to get his mind off of his worry for Isabel.

He glanced between the others and wondered if it was even possible to find common ground after everything that had happened. Maria and Liz were sitting on a couple of chairs in the center of the garage while their boyfriends stood behind them, gazes locked as they assessed each other. Did they have any idea that they looked like a couple of boxers in the ring, watching each other warily while controlling the natural instinct to be the one to throw the first punch?

"So, how long can you guys all stay tonight?" he asked, trying to keep his mind occupied and break the silence in the room.

Maria felt ridiculously relieved when Alex spoke up, even if it was about something so completely innocuous. She didn't know what to say to Liz and it was apparent that her old friend felt the same way because the few times they had tried to start a conversation it had been stilted and awkward. "I'm good until whenever," she answered.

"Same here," Michael said, choosing to ignore it when Maria made a pathetic attempt to hide her smirk. He had called his parents on the way over to Alex' house and his mother had told him that she expected him to be home by his normal curfew. She hadn't been interested in negotiating, especially when she had learned that he was with Maria and wanted to stay out late. It hadn't been until his father had gotten involved in the conversation that he had been given a reprieve.

"I'm good until about 1am," Max spoke up and then shrugged one shoulder. "Had to negotiate to get the extra hour."

Michael snorted. "Guess Mommy and Daddy didn't want their baby boy stayin' out too late."

"My parents aren't any of your business. Just because yours don't know what you're doing out at all hours of the night – "

"Jealous because my parents know the truth?"

Alex rolled his eyes when the guys started taunting each other and he watched in surprise as Maria shifted back just enough that her shoulder was resting against Michael's side. He could actually see the guy relax just a bit at the small touch and a moment later his hands settled on the back of her chair. His eyes still held a challenge that was directed at Max though and it was clear that it hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Have your parents always known the truth?" Alex asked curiously.

Michael turned his attention to the guy hanging out by the surveillance equipment and he narrowed his eyes at the intrusive question. "How is that any of your business?"

_The guy wasn't making conversation easy, _Alex thought. "I was just wondering how much of a difference it had made for you if they had known the truth since the beginning, that's all."

"What do your parents know?" Michael challenged, crossing his arms over his chest as his gaze returned to Max once more.

"Maybe we should talk about something that isn't gonna be so…" Liz trailed off when Maria's boyfriend turned to stare at her and she laughed nervously. "You know, maybe something a little more neutral since neither of you seems to wanna talk about your families. I'm sure there must be some common ground we can work from."

"Got somethin' in mind?" he taunted. "Maybe we could talk about the next science club meeting?" He glanced at Alex. "What about you? Chess club? Band practice?" He looked at Max and his gaze slid over him dismissively before he shook his head. "Yeah, that's what I thought. We have two things in common… Maria and this secret… wanna talk about one of those?"

"_That was pretty good."_

The five of them turned to look at the laptop when Tess' voice carried over the speakers, breaking the tension for a moment and refocusing their attention.

"They're on the move again," Michael said as he moved across the garage to be closer to the equipment. "Where're they goin' now?"

"Probably back to Tess' house," Alex guessed. "Isabel's gonna try to get away by tellin' her she's gotta help your mom with somethin'."

"How do you know that?"

He glanced over his shoulder at Max but before he could say anything Tess spoke again.

"You have any plans tonight?"

"Ungh, yeah, my mom needs some help getting some things together for a lunch she's having for some of her friends tomorrow afternoon."

"Any way to get out of that?"

Alex winced when a burst of static shot out of the speakers. "Let go of the necklace, Iz," he muttered. "C'mon, drop it!"

He ignored the surprised looks he could feel when the reception suddenly cleared up and they could hear the conversation again. He dropped his head forward to rest in his hand when he heard Isabel give a negative response.

"Maybe we can hang out later this week then," Tess said. "I've got some things to do tomorrow, but maybe we could do something after school?"

"She can't agree to spend more time with her," Michael said, thumping Alex's shoulder. "We only said she'd do this thing today, nothin' else."

"She won't, we've got it covered."

"Oh, well… this week?"

"Doesn't sound like it," Max said, his brow pulled down in a frown.

Alex shook his head. "C'mon, Iz, too much homework, getting ready for Christmas… c'mon, remember what we talked about."

"Girl, I've got so much homework this next week. The teachers here always pile it on before the Christmas break. And I'm gonna be busy helping my mom with Christmas stuff after school. Maybe we can get together again after the holidays?"

A collective sigh of relief went up in the garage as the two girls made tentative plans to make plans after the holidays and after a few more minutes Tess had been dropped off at her house and Isabel was safely on her way to meet up with them.

The garage was silent as Isabel walked in through the side door. They had lowered the larger door as evening had neared and the temperature had started to drop just enough to make it uncomfortable. She dropped her small bag on the table by the laptop as she joined the others and she frowned when she saw that nothing was going on at Tess' house.

"I guess we haven't learned anything new so far," she said, taking a seat when Alex stood and motioned to the chair he had been sitting in.

"Not yet, but we will," he said confidently. "You did great by the way."

"Where's that letter you guys found?" Maria asked. "The one that you took out to be translated?"

"You told them about that?" Max asked.

"We're not gonna get anywhere if we withhold information and that letter is an important part of why we're all here," Alex said as he reached for his backpack and pulled a binder out. He handed it to Isabel and she opened it up while he was digging through the pack looking for something else.

Isabel opened the notebook and flipped through a few pages before she reached the sleeve where the letter was carefully preserved in plastic. She turned it over and slid several sheets of paper out of the next sleeve. After setting the binder aside she turned to Michael and held it out to him. She knew Maria had asked for the letter but she still wasn't completely comfortable with Motormouth DeLuca being involved.

Alex motioned to the pages Michael held. "That's the translated version; we recorded our visit with the code talker and afterwards we went back over the tape and wrote everything down."

"I'm the one who asked for it," Maria grumbled, shooting a glare at Isabel.

Michael handed her the last two pages, hoping to appease her before the two girls could get into an argument. He had enough to deal with at the moment; the last thing he needed right now was the two of them getting into a fight that he'd have to hear about for the next few weeks.

"Hey," Max said, calling their attention to the screen on the laptop. "Look, she's on the camera."

They all turned to look at the screen, watching Tess as she moved around the living room doing nothing of any importance.

Maria shifted her attention back to the letter she held, knowing if anything happened one of the others would mention it.

Michael frowned as he scanned through the pages he held. "What's this got to do with anything?" he demanded. "I didn't ask for a history lesson on code talkers."

"Yeah, you probably gave the part you're lookin' for to Maria," Alex said. He leaned back in his chair when Michael moved closer to Maria and reached out with the obvious intention of taking the papers back.

Maria pushed his hand away and took several steps back as she shot a pointed glare at him. "Don't just grab things," she said as she turned her attention back to the papers she held.

"You don't even know what you're lookin' for, Maria," he complained as he reached for the papers once more… only to have his hand smacked away again.

"Oh, that's right, you have superior alien genetics, don't you? My mere mortal self keeps forgetting that," she muttered sarcastically. "This Atherton guy talks about four children hidden in the desert, created for some sort of predetermined destiny…" She lifted her head and looked around at the others, studying them before turning her eyes to the monitor that was focused on Tess. "Four aliens," she mused quietly, "and a destiny that's predetermined."

"What're you thinkin'?" Alex asked, watching her.

"Two guys and two girls… Michael, Max, Isabel, and now Tess. We know for sure that the three of you were found in the desert; if we make the leap that she's the fourth alien he mentioned in the letter then that could explain her interest in Max."

"What do you mean?" Isabel asked uncertainly.

"Think about it… two guys and two girls. You and Max, you're brother and sister, and Tess has made it a point to go after Max. If we take what Atherton believes he learned from Nacedo then we could be looking at some kind of arranged alien thing."

"What, like they're supposed to be together or something?" Liz asked as she moved closer to Max, needing to feel him near.

Max wrapped his arms around her as he shook his head. "We have no proof of that," he denied.

"You said when you're around Tess you lose time, right? You can't remember anything that happened while you were with her. Do you ever remember anything that happens before that… I don't know, blackout phase?"

Max shifted uncomfortably. "No."

Michael raised his eyes from the paper he was reading over Maria's shoulder when he heard the hesitation in the other guy's voice. "You're attracted to her," he guessed.

"What I feel when I'm around her is…"

"Primal," Liz said when he fell silent. "You said it was primal."

Isabel frowned as she looked at her brother. "You didn't say anything about that to me."

"It's not something I wanted to discuss with my sister."

Isabel was insulted. "Why? Because I'm not a guy? I'll have you know, Max, I could've told you – "

"Okay, okay, we're getting off track again," Alex interrupted as he moved to stand between them. "Look, let's all just take a break and maybe keep an eye on Tess for a while. We can come back to this later."

Michael made himself comfortable on the couch sitting against the back wall, keeping the computer screen in view. He glanced up when Maria joined him and she handed him the papers he had been trying to take possession of a few minutes earlier. He studied the translated notes and his brow furrowed as he read over it for the third time.

"This destiny it's talkin' about… we have no idea what it refers to. Is it somethin' here on Earth or is it somethin' bigger?" he wondered aloud.

"I don't care what it is," Isabel muttered as she braced her elbow on the table and propped her chin in her hand so she could watch Tess. "No one has the right to tell us what we have to do or who we have to be… certainly not some other alien or whatever."

"I'm not suggestin' we should just blindly follow a bunch of old notes," Michael said, shaking his head. "I just wanna know what it's talkin' about. The crash was in '47… for all we know whatever this refers to has already happened and we missed it."

Max snorted. "So, you think we came here on a spaceship that crash-landed in 1947?"

"Did I stutter?" Michael snapped. "Do you have another theory about how we got here? I'm guessin' you don't, so why don't you shut up unless you've got somethin' useful to add."

"Okay, we're getting off-track again." Alex stood between them, hands held up in the air to stop them before either of them got up. "Iz, you wanna help me out here?"

"Alex, look," she whispered, drawing everyone's attention.

They all hurried to gather around Isabel and they watched in shock when Tess dropped the remote on the couch beside her and held her right hand up as if she was waiting for something. Moments later a bottle of soda floated through the room, presumably from the kitchen, and moved right into her hand.

"How'd you know that was gonna happen?" Michael demanded.

"I didn't." Her tone was hushed. "She just did the same thing with the TV remote."


	104. Chapter 103

**Part 103**

"She _is_ like you guys," Liz whispered. _What if Maria's theory about the four of them being paired up was true?_ She looked up at Max, wondering what it could mean to their future. _What did it mean to all of their futures?_

Maria looked at Michael, studying the look on his face as he stared at the screen with a speculative expression and she wondered what he was thinking.

"Do you think she's Nacedo?" Alex asked, turning his head to look at Michael.

"No, that doesn't make any sense," Maria said before her boyfriend had the chance to answer.

Michael straightened up, turning slightly but keeping the screen in view. "Why?"

"Think about it…" she looked at each of them in turn. "The letter mentions four children… two boys and two girls. We've got you, Michael, and then Max and Isabel… Tess would make the fourth."

Max stared at the screen, watching the girl… alien… whatever she was, as she changed the channels on the television without the aid of the remote control that sat beside her on the couch, untouched. "Which would most likely make her father Nacedo… if what you guys are saying is true."

"It would make the most sense," Michael said. "You said she's new in town, she's shown a specific interest in the two of you, and we now have absolute proof that she has powers that ordinary humans don't have." He chewed on his thumbnail for several long seconds as he stared hard at the screen. "We need more information."

Maria shook her head. "First, we need to take a step back and regroup, Michael. We can't just blindly react to this information." Her head was spinning with questions and possibilities as she wondered at the ramifications of them discovering the fourth alien. Two guys… two girls… Her gaze slowly moved between the three of them. Michael, Max and Isabel… Her eyes moved to the screen. And Tess.

The girl had shown an unquestionable interest in Max, which would make sense if the information in the letter was correct. Max and Isabel were brother and sister. But if it was true then that meant the second couple would consist of the remaining two aliens. Her eyes moved between Michael and Isabel and her traitorous mind wondered if it could be true.

Michael could see the questions in Maria's eyes and he wished he had the answers, but he didn't. For the moment she was right though – they did need to take a step back before deciding what to do next. Anything they decided right after witnessing Tess' actions would be reckless and now more than ever they had to be sure of their next step because it would affect all of them.

"You're right," he said after a few minutes of silence. "But we can't let this sit for long. We need to figure out what we're gonna do because we don't know why they're here or what they want with us… or what they want with the two of you. To our knowledge she knows nothin' about me and we need to keep it that way as long as possible."

"So, maybe we should agree to meet again," Max said slowly.

"Tomorrow." Michael's tone was decisive. "Out at the rock quarry where we met earlier."

Isabel nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

They discussed it and came to an agreement about the time before the group began to move apart and the three old friends looked at each other as they moved away from each other and a dozen unspoken questions passed between them.

"Isabel, let's go," Max called when they reached the garage door.

"Alex and I still have a few things to go over."

"You want me to come back after I drop Liz off?"

"I can give her a ride home when we're finished up here," Alex said, glancing up at the couple.

Liz wasn't paying any attention to the conversation as she turned to follow Maria's progress down the driveway. Sadness washed over her when she watched the other girl settle into the truck without so much as a glance back in their direction. _Would they ever be able to get their friendship back? Was it even possible or was it just wishful thinking?_

"Liz?" Max called her name quietly and gave her hand a gentle tug when she stood rooted to the spot, her eyes locked on the truck parked next to the jeep. He knew without asking where her mind was and he wished uselessly that there was something he could do to fix it for her.

Maria knew Liz was watching her, could feel her eyes following every move she made as she eased onto the bench seat and waited for Michael to climb in behind the wheel. She kept her gaze focused on her boyfriend as he rounded the front of the truck and it wasn't until he had started the engine and they were backing out of the driveway that she gave up and lifted her eyes to her old friend. Despite the distance between them she could see the sadness and regret in Liz's eyes and after several moments of indecision she raised her right hand and gave a stilted wave.

A brief moment of relief blossomed in Liz's chest when she saw the small gesture and she raised her own hand to return it. _Maybe,_ she thought, _just maybe they would be able to salvage what was left of their friendship and piece it back together like the fragmented thing that it was._

Inside the garage Isabel had started to pace restlessly as her eyes darted back and forth between the door and the laptop screen where Tess was still amusing herself, unaware of the turmoil her very existence had unleashed.

Alex watched her as she latched onto the heart pendant she was wearing, dragging it back and forth across the chain it hung from. He was glad he had muted the audio because she would be creating a lot of static with her agitated movements.

"What do you think, Alex?"

He sat down in the chair she had vacated and he crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back and considered her question. "About what Maria said?"

"Could she be right?" she asked, her brow furrowed as her thoughts ran wild.

"She has a valid point about there being two guys and two girls and Tess has shown an inordinate amount of interest in your brother."

"I don't have any intention of going along with some plan that was made by people I don't even know… it's my life, Alex." She was her own woman and she wouldn't be told how she would live her life and who she would live it with.

"Hey," he said, his tone quiet and firm, "all we have right now is a working theory and there's no point in getting upset over this."

"But, what if she's right?" She hated needing reassurance from anyone but she knew he would never make her feel weak or needy for the momentary lapse.

"What if she is?" he countered. "Maybe she is right and maybe that is the original plan and whoever came up with it had some great reason for it, but look, you guys didn't grow up under whatever kinda society would enforce arrangements like that. And even more importantly, you're not the kinda girl who's gonna just sit back and let someone else plan your future for you." He shook his head. "Like you said, it's your life, and no one can or should dictate how you're gonna live it."

She nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Alex."

"Anytime, Isabel." He motioned to the equipment stretched out across the table. "Let's get this cleaned up and then I'll give you that ride home."

They worked together for a while, each lost in their own thoughts as they put the equipment away and as he was closing up the laptop he noticed that she was staring at the ear bud she had worn earlier that night.

"Why don't you hold onto that," he suggested. "Just in case you need to talk or anything later and if not… well, you'll have it on you if you happen to run into Tess while we're not together."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." She didn't question the feeling of safety that came with his assurance that he was there if she needed him. She just accepted it for the fact that it was and helped him finish cleaning the garage up before they turned out the lights and locked up for the night.

Maria's mind was busy measuring herself up against the statuesque blonde that Michael might potentially be supposed to be with as they drove through the quiet streets of Roswell. She wasn't an insecure person, but… _Isabel Evans? The Elle Macpherson of West Roswell High?_

"What're you thinkin', Maria?" Michael asked as he parked in front of her house and turned off the headlights. She had been silent for too long and it was starting to bother him.

"Just wondering what the chances were that Isabel Evans of all people would be the girl you're supposed to be… I don't know, betrothed to or whatever it is your people cooked up on their backwards planet."

He knew better than to just laugh outright at her oddly insecure comment, but he couldn't stop the smirk that eased over his features. "Betrothed to?" he mocked. "I think it's a little soon for us to be thinkin' in terms like that."

"You know what I mean, Michael," she muttered.

"So, there's someone else you would prefer over Isabel?"

"No, not really. It'd just be nice if it wasn't the drop-dead gorgeous wanna-be model with the perfect hair… face… body…" She glanced down at herself before crossing her arms and hugging her inadequate chest. "The perfect bra size," she grumbled derisively.

"She's not you," he said with a shrug.

"Obviously you won the alien genius lottery when they were handing brains out."

"All I'm sayin' is I'm not interested in perfection, I'm interested in you."

She turned to look at him, frowning at what she was certain was his floundering attempt at a compliment.

_Well, that hadn't come out the way he meant it,_ he thought when he saw the expression on her face. "That was a compliment, Maria. I'm just sayin' neither of us is perfect an' yeah, she's attractive… but I'm not attracted to her. The only girl I have any interest in is you." He nudged her chin up with his fist and he maintained eye contact as he continued. "I love you just the way you are."

Maria looked up at him and smiled tiredly. "You wanna come in for a little while?" she asked.

Michael glanced at his watch and decided that a little while longer would be alright so he nodded and opened his door.

They walked inside and he looked around as he followed her into the living room. "Your mom's not home tonight?"

"She's out with Gabriel. She'll be back late tonight." She reached for the remote for the television as she sat beside him on the couch and shifted to lean against him. Neither of them was really watching the movie but as it played Maria rearranged her position so that she was lying down with her head in his lap.

They were silent, their minds consumed with their thoughts as they went over the day and all that they had learned. The television droned on in the background, but did little to provide a suitable distraction. Michael's fingers combed through her hair as he stared into space, his exhausted mind trying to connect all of the pieces of the puzzle.


	105. Chapter 104

**Part 104**

Max stared out through the windshield as his fingers drummed on the steering wheel and in the seat next to him Liz had to grit her teeth to stop herself from yelling at him. The sound was irritating but she knew he had a lot on his mind and he was just trying to distract himself. It was the first time they had come to Buckley Point with no intention of making out. It wasn't what she'd had in mind when she had suggested they should go someplace quiet to talk.

"I think Maria may be right," she said, finally deciding that they weren't going to settle anything by sitting there in silence.

He glanced at her. "What?"

"What she was saying about the four of you… two guys, two girls… it makes sense, Max."

He shook his head. "Nothing about this makes sense, Liz. How do you explain my alien stalker?" He rubbed his forehead as he faced the windshield again, wishing he could rid himself of the feeling that he had been violated.

"Think about it, Max. She must know that there are supposed to be four of you and whether she knew it before or not, she now knows that you and Isabel are brother and sister." She shifted in the bucket seat to face him as the ideas suddenly started to formulate and roll off of her tongue. "Obviously if you and Isabel are related then the fourth – and unknown – alien would be the one Isabel's intended to be with which means that you would be the one Tess is supposed to be with. Of course," she whispered, "that makes perfect sense!"

"How do you mean?" he asked warily.

"She moves to town and somehow she determines that you and Isabel are two of the aliens she's looking for and by the simple process of elimination figures out that you're the guy she's supposed to be with. Only one problem, you're already in a relationship with someone, so she has to find a way to undermine that. She started using her powers on you… picking through information and taking what she felt was relevant, searching for ways to break us up."

He shook his head. "How does that make sense?"

"Max, she knows you don't have feelings for her, certainly not romantic feelings, so she's trying to force you to behave certain ways in an effort to break us up. If we break up then you would have no reason to resist her – "

"I would resist her," he insisted. "I'm not attracted to her."

"You've admitted that you're not in control of yourself when she's around. If we go on the assumption that what Atherton wrote in the letter was true, that there is some plan, some destiny that you guys are supposed to follow, and that the man posing as her father is the alien Nacedo, then it's probably safe to assume that she's not interested in what you want. If he is the alien that Atherton wrote about then he believes that you guys are supposed to follow this predestined path… and if Tess has been raised by this alien then she probably believes it too. It can't be a coincidence that the two of them arrived here together as father and daughter."

_It was an explanation that made sense,_ Liz thought, satisfied. It was clear, concise, and most importantly, it was logical. She always felt better when she could find a way to make order out of chaos.

"I feel like she took something from me," he admitted after a while. "Something that I didn't give her permission or consent to touch." He looked down when she covered his hand with both of hers. "She used her powers to get in my head and snoop around, violating my mind and taking things that weren't rightfully hers and making me act in ways that go against who I am. It was…" he struggled with the word and after several seconds shrugged.

"The equivalent of a mental rape," Liz offered, certain that was the word he was shying away from.

He nodded silently. "She had no right to get in my head like that."

"No," she agreed quietly, "she didn't."

Max sighed and leaned his head back against the seat as he stared into the darkness that surrounded them. He didn't feel any closer to having the answers than he had when they had first arrived. "What do you think about the newest members of our club?" he asked finally.

"I think there's safety in numbers," she answered without missing a beat. "I don't really know what to think about Michael but Maria trusts him… and that says a lot. It's pretty obvious he trusts her too, and he cares about her." She shrugged. "I think I'd rather have him on our side than against us. You know, it's interesting that the two of you have been so antagonistic towards each other."

"Why's that interesting?"

"It's uncharacteristic behavior for you but I'm not so sure it's out of character for him. The two of you have reacted similarly because you're both protecting this huge secret that you have in common. It's not so much a competitive thing as it is a matter of doing what you have to do to keep the secret and those you care about safe."

"It felt… I don't know, weird," he shrugged, "maybe unnatural would be a better word. It didn't feel right to stand back and let him make the decisions about what we should do next. I can't really explain it but something about it bothered me."

"You don't think he can be trusted?"

He shook his head. "No, not like that… more like he isn't the one who's supposed to make the decisions. I don't know. Like I said, it just didn't feel right."

"Maybe we'll figure something out in the morning after we've all had a chance to rest and deal with this from a fresh perspective."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Not that he was going to get any sleep after the day they had just had and learned the things they had learned.

Michael pocketed his keys as he walked into the house at almost two in the morning and he winced when he shifted his weight wrong and hit the squeakiest board in the hallway. He turned his head when his father stepped out of the living room and leaned in the doorframe as he glanced meaningfully at his watch.

"We weren't doin' anything," he denied before the lecture could begin. He still couldn't decide when to tell his parents. He knew if he told them right away there was a very good chance that they'd forbid him to continue investigating the fourth alien out of fear for his safety. He knew he couldn't risk that because he wouldn't be able to comply with their rules if it came down to that and he didn't want to openly disregard their rules.

On the other hand, it might not hurt if they knew what was going on. His parents had supported him from the beginning; they had encouraged him to embrace his differences, but to be cautious about doing anything that would expose him to danger. Tess was dangerous, he could feel it. His parents wouldn't want him getting involved any more than he already had and they would do whatever they felt was necessary to protect him.

"You weren't waitin' up for me were you?" he asked when his father remained silent.

"No, I'm just getting ready for another shift at the factory. Your mom should be getting home in about an hour."

"So I should probably be in bed before she gets here," Michael said with a smirk.

"That'd be a wise move for a young man who stayed out well past the time he negotiated. And it might do you well to remember that a man is only as good as his word, son."

"Huh?"

John bit back a smile at his son's clueless expression. "I realize spendin' time with your girlfriend is much more fun than takin' pictures at the Christmas pageant, but you gave Shadow your word that you'd be there for him and – "

"Damn, that was tonight, wasn't it?" Michael muttered to himself.

"Technically it was last night and you owe your cousin an apology for not comin' through for him. When you give someone your word it's important to make sure you keep it." He straightened away from the doorframe. "I'm sure he'll come up with a way for you to pay him back, but that's really not the point."

Michael nodded silently.

"Oh, and that puppy you and Maggie got for Joey? She's managed to make a mess out of the barn… don't go anywhere until the two of you have cleaned that up in the mornin'."

"Got it, Dad." There was just no good way for him to tell his dad about everything that was going on right now. When he told his parents he needed them to be present, not getting ready to go in to work for a second shift or just coming home from working most of the night. And he didn't want them to worry either, so maybe he would just wait a little while before saying anything. Let things calm down, get past the holidays, and then sit down with them and explain the situation. He nodded to himself. Yeah, that's what he would do… come to them when he had a better understanding of things himself.

"Get some sleep, Michael, you look beat." John patted the boy's shoulder when he passed him. "Don't be up when your mom gets home."


	106. Chapter 105

**Part 105**

The sun was shining brightly early on Sunday morning as Michael and Maria sat in the cab of the truck waiting for the others to arrive at the quarry. Sunlight sparkled off of the water below and the automatic tearing produced from looking at the blinding points of light as it reflected off of the water was lost on the couple as they dozed in the warm interior. In spite of the sun that was beginning to climb higher in the sky the morning air was cold enough to require a heavy jacket and they had opted to stay in the truck with the heater running.

The sound of a horn honking broke through the light fog just enough to disturb their sleep but not enough to completely wake them up. The sound repeated, closer this time, and Michael's eyes snapped open as he glanced around to find the source of the disturbance. "Maria," he called as he sat up straighter behind the wheel.

She grumbled when he shifted, nudging her with his shoulder and jostling her in her sleep. "What?"

"Hey, we've got company."

Maria reached up to rub her eyes before squinting through the windshield and shaking her head at the other two vehicles that were pulling up in front of them. She glanced at her boyfriend and followed his lead when he got out of the truck, walking to the front and leaning against the grill next to him as the others did the same.

The six of them faced each other but this time there was no suspicion or hostility creating a barrier between them. Regardless of their differences of opinion they had come together for a common goal. Sleep had not come easy for any of them the night before and despite being tired there was an element of excitement and nervous tension humming just below the surface.

"So, anyone have any ideas?" Michael asked when no one else spoke up.

"I think you're right," Max said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "We need to find out more about Tess and her father. The three of us can protect ourselves, but if they were to go after the people we care about for any reason…"

"That's a risk we can't take." Michael nodded. "Alright, I agree with that." He looked at Isabel expectantly.

She glanced at Alex from the corner of her eye. She knew she would do whatever was necessary to protect him. "We need to know what we're up against. If she and her father are what we suspect them of being then we need more information. Atherton's letter, her obsession with Max, her ability to manipulate and control us…" she shook her head. "If she is here to follow some predetermined destiny we have to learn everything we can about it and her because that's the only way to stop it from happening."

"She could be dangerous," Liz spoke up.

Maria nodded in agreement. "Especially if this destiny thing is something she expects all of you to follow blindly."

"Which I think we can all agree we're not gonna do… blindly or otherwise." Michael glanced at the others as he waited for their responses.

"No," Max shook his head. "We're not gonna be slaves to someone else's plan."

Isabel nodded in agreement. "We make our own decisions and we live by our own rules."

"We're not the only ones in danger," Liz spoke up. "We have no way of knowing what the long-term effects of this mind thing are."

Maria nodded. "Yeah, that's true, and she's been messing with your heads for a while now."

"You're both right," Michael said, "but we've gotta focus on getting our hands on more information before she figures out that we're onto her little game. The only way to stop the mind games is to stop her and we can't do that until we know what we're up against."

"Alright, we're agreed that we need more information," Alex said as he braced his hands on the hood behind him and rested his weight on them. "Next question is how do we go about that?"

"Our best course of action is to get her alone someplace where we can protect ourselves, someplace where we don't have to worry about bein' discovered." Michael paced back and forth in front of the truck as he considered their options. "There's only one thing that makes sense here."

Max met his gaze evenly and he crossed his arms over his chest as he nodded. "We need to get her out here, to the quarry."

Michael shrugged. "It's secluded and no one will bother us out here. But you're gonna have to get her to come with you."

"Wait, why me?"

"Because she's obsessed with you. She won't be suspicious if you suddenly ask her out."

"And what reason would I have for takin' her out into the desert?"

"Tell her you wanna take her out for a picnic," Isabel suggested.

Max shook his head. "I'm not sure that's the best course of action. Yeah, we need to do something, but maybe we should spend some time following her, gathering information that way before we do anything too drastic."

"We can't wait that long," Michael insisted. "We have no idea how long it could take to find anything out that way. We need to get her alone and force her hand."

"Maybe we should put it to a vote," Alex suggested. "Follow her or get her out here to the quarry."

Isabel was the first to speak. "Quarry."

"You know my answer," Michael said.

"Mine too," Max muttered.

Liz shook her head negatively. "No, Max is right, we should keep her under surveillance for now… it's not fair to put him in the dangerous position of luring her out here when we know what she's capable of."

"I think our best bet's gonna be getting her out here and making her talk," Alex disagreed.

3-2… Maria's vote would either tie them and leave them deadlocked or she would tip the scales in favor of luring Tess out to the quarry so they could confront her. Liz bit her lip as she looked at her old friend, waiting to see what she would say.

Maria looked at Michael, seeing the tension in him as he waited impatiently for her to cast her vote. She could feel the weight of Liz's stare and she knew the girl who had once been her best friend wanted her to vote for surveillance. But she also knew that they had no idea how much time they had before they lost complete control of the situation.

Michael felt a moment of doubt when she shook her head and he wondered how they would resolve a deadlocked vote.

"I'm sorry, Liz, I know why you're choosing surveillance, but I think we stand a better chance against Tess and whatever she's planning if we've got the upper hand."

"Maybe we can figure out a different way to get her out here," Isabel offered, knowing that Max wasn't thrilled with being the bait for the trap they intended to set.

In spite of the temptation to agree to his sister's offer Max shook his head. He couldn't put her in that situation, not when he had first-hand knowledge of what Tess was capable of doing. "No, I'll do it. She's more likely to buy this story if I'm the one selling it. When do we wanna do this?"

"The sooner the better," Michael said. "If we don't do it today we're lookin' at waitin' another week at least."

Max swallowed hard and nodded as he checked the time. "Alright, we should head back into town for now. I'll call Tess in an hour or so, see if she'd like to go for a picnic around two o'clock and if she agrees you guys can head back out here about an hour before that."

"What're we doing until then?" Alex asked.

"Continue surveillance for now. I'll drop Liz off over at your place before I'm scheduled to pick Tess up."

"Maybe you should plan to come by earlier," Isabel suggested as she glanced at Alex. "We can use the audio equipment on him so we know if Tess is pulling anything we're not expecting."

He nodded in agreement. "Good idea."

"Alright, we've got a working plan," Michael said as he straightened up and reached for his keys. "Let's set it in motion."

Liz stared out through the window beside her, unaware of the landscape outside or the radio deejay droning on in the background. All she could think about was the possibility that Maria was right, that Max was somehow destined to be with Tess. Whether that was what they were looking at or not, their plan was putting him in danger and she didn't like that. The risk that something could happen to him, that she could manipulate his mind and make him do something against his will, the chance of losing Max to some alien girl, it was all too much to contemplate.

What if this destiny thing was right? What if he was meant to be with someone who was like him? What if their relationship couldn't last because they were different? Her mind wouldn't leave the questions alone and she sighed loudly as she brushed her hair back behind her ear.

"I wouldn't do this if there was another way, Liz," Max said after nearly 20 minutes of silence. They were almost back in town and she hadn't said a word since they had left the quarry.

"I know," she said quietly.

"It's not a real date… this's nothing more than me luring her out to the place we agreed on as a group so we can find out what's going on."

"She's made you do things against your will, Max. How do we know she won't alter the plan by doing… whatever it is she does when she gets in your head?"

"All I have to do is get her out to the quarry. It's a matter of making her think I wanna spend some time with her. A picnic, a secluded setting, the two of us alone… it'll be enough to keep her focus on the afternoon ahead instead of getting in my head."

She shifted in her seat so she could look at him. "You have no idea when she's doing it… how do you think you're gonna avoid it when you don't know how or when she's gonna start messing with your head?"

"Liz, you've gotta trust me."

"I do trust you, but I don't know who you are when she's controlling you." She looked away when he pulled over and parked in front of his house.

"What?"

"Is it some form of mind control or is it something entirely different? What if it's how you connect with your own kind?"

Max shook his head in denial. "Whatever it is she does, it's not a connection. I don't know how to describe it because I have no recollection of what happens when it occurs but… this thing, it's not a connection and it happens against my will."

Liz knew he was being sincere, knew that the control that Tess seemed to have over him was unsettling him, but she couldn't stop that little voice that kept pushing her doubts to the front of her mind. It wasn't him or his feelings for her that she doubted, but maybe this was beyond his control.

"Isabel was right, Liz, we're not gonna just let someone else dictate our lives for us."

"And what if what you want doesn't matter? I know this has to be done, but I don't like that you're the bait. What's to stop her from doing whatever it is she does and making you do what she wants you to do instead of the other way around?"

"I know it's risky, but… what other choice do we have? We've gotta find out what's going on while we have the upper hand."

Liz drew in a deep breath, trying to control her fears. "I guess you have a phone call to make then," she said finally.

"Stay with me?"

She nodded and took his hand when he held it out to her. "We're in this together, so I guess we'd better move this thing along."


	107. Chapter 106

**Part 106**

Tess set her phone down as a triumphant smile settled on her face. _It had taken long enough,_ she thought. She finally had Max Evans right where she wanted him. He was coming to her just like he was supposed to. The call had been unexpected, but welcome, and while a picnic in the desert didn't sound all that appealing to her, the opportunity to get him alone was too good to turn down.

His connection with Liz Parker was strong, stronger than she had anticipated, but her work on him was finally paying off. She had been able to control his focus when she could get him alone, but when the other girl was around she had discovered that it took a lot more work. She couldn't understand his attachment to the human girl anymore than she could understand Isabel's attachment to Alex. It made no sense to her way of thinking. Establishing such connections only made them weak and they were too stupid to see it. It wasn't their fault; they had been raised by humans and that made them prone to human mistakes.

She glanced at the clock on the wall before standing and walking over to the fireplace, turning her head to the side as she studied her reflection in the mirror hanging over the mantle. _What should she wear for a picnic in the desert?_ she wondered. She had a little time to decide since he wasn't picking her up for a couple of hours, but she didn't want to be rushing at the last minute either. She hurried out of the room, determined to be ready before he arrived.

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Michael was pacing around the living room in Maria's house, his mind turning things over and trying to put all of the pieces together. There were things that just didn't make sense, things that he couldn't connect no matter how hard he tried and it was driving him crazy. "Why do you think Max and Isabel are so different?" he asked finally.

Maria shrugged. "Same reason you and Maggie are so different I guess. It's a brother and sister thing… a guy and girl thing… I don't know."

He shook his head. "How do we even know they're brother and sister?"

"What're you getting at, Michael?"

"You saw her out there, Maria. She was ready for action, she wants to get to the bottom of this thing, figure out what's goin' on with Tess… he wanted to stick his head in the sand and hope it goes away."

Okay, he was going somewhere with this, she just wasn't sure where. She made a rolling motion with her right hand to keep him talking.

"All we really know is that the three of us were found in the desert, right? We had to have come from the same place, wherever or whatever that is. What if we were together originally, but somehow got separated in the desert? Maybe they just happened to find each other and not me," Michael said, his voice rising with the last few words.

"Even if they did, what's your point?"

"She's tall, blonde, dark-eyed, and she's more aggressive than he is… they don't look alike and they don't act alike either. Their personalities are complete opposites."

"Uh-huh, and from that you've deduced that you and she are what, brother and sister?" she asked, finally understanding what he had been brainstorming about.

"Well, why not? It would make sense, Maria. They assume they're brother and sister because they were found together and they've been raised that way."

"Does it really matter? You and Maggie aren't biologically related, does that make her any less your sister? Would you want someone coming in and taking that away from you?"

Michael winced. No, he wouldn't like that. Maggie was his little sister, period. Nobody could take that from him. But if he was right and Isabel was his sister too, shouldn't he try to explore this new relationship? Max had had her as a sister for years, so why couldn't he have her as a sister too? "So, you don't think I should mention it?"

Maria sighed and tried to calm him down. "I think right now that's the least of our worries and we need to focus on this Tess thing first. Maybe later after we know what's going on and things have been settled we can find a more tactful way to approach it."

Michael nodded, knowing she was right. "I don't suppose it would do any good to tell you I don't want you to go out to the quarry this afternoon?"

"No. We're in this thing together, Michael."

"We don't know how advanced her powers are, so I want you to stay behind me and out of the line of fire this afternoon."

She rolled her eyes at his unnecessary order. "I'm not stupid, you know."

"Wasn't implyin' that you are," he said. "I just know better than to assume you'll stay out of the line of fire." He checked his watch before looking at her. "We should probably head over there, make sure he's ready and then get out to the quarry."

She glanced at the clock, noting the time. It was earlier than they had agreed to meet, but he was getting antsy just waiting around. "Alright." Chances were good that Liz and Max would be there earlier too and it would be a good opportunity to go over the plan once again to make sure they knew exactly what they were doing.

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Isabel prowled around the garage, unable to sit still for very long as she thought about their plan and how close they were to actually putting it into action. She could understand her brother's reluctance to be the bait and she couldn't really blame him. He was nervous about being alone with Tess, worried about falling under her influence again. The girl had shown herself to be capable of manipulating both of them and as much as she hated the thought of Max being put in that position she was glad it wasn't her.

"He'll be fine, y'know," Alex said as he glanced up from the monitor. He had been alternating between keeping an eye on Tess and watching Isabel wear a trench in the floor of the garage for the past hour. He could only assume that the subject of their surveillance was getting ready for her 'date' because she had moved past the camera in several different outfits.

"How do you know that, Alex?" Isabel snapped.

"Because we're not sendin' him in there blindly; he'll have the earpiece and we'll keep him from falling under her control. She's been doin' this long enough that she's gonna assume this time's no different than the others. She won't be expecting it when they get to the quarry and we're all there."

"I've been thinkin' about that."

They turned when Michael and Maria walked into the garage and Alex lifted an eyebrow in question. "What about it?"

"How do we question her? Who's gonna get her to talk?" Michael asked. "Whatever information she has probably isn't gonna be handed over without some convincing."

"I think Isabel should handle the questions," Alex said after a few minutes. "You would certainly be threatening and intimidating, but I think she'll respond to Isabel's brand of intimidation better than she will to yours."

"I agree with Alex," Max said as he and Liz joined them.

"Because you think he's right or because he's the one who said it?"

Alex got between the two guys and held his hands up before Max could respond. "Okay, guys, before we lose sight of why we're here, why don't we just concentrate on going over the plan one more time before Max needs to go."

"I'll go pick her up," Max said, going along with Alex's suggestion. "While I'm doing that the rest of you will head out to the quarry and wait."

"When they get there we'll confront Tess," Isabel added. "I'll take the lead with the questions, see what we can find out about who she is, who her 'father' is, and why they came to Roswell."

"How do we keep Max safe?" Liz questioned, speaking up when no one else touched on that topic. "He's gonna be alone with Tess and we haven't established how she's able to get into his head. How do we know she won't be able to do whatever it is she does and find out where he's taking her and why? If she realizes what's going on she could turn on him. He could get hurt over this."

"We're gonna have Max use an earpiece," Alex said and then explained how it would work. "We'll also hook him up so we can pick up his conversation and if there's any trouble we'll respond to it."

"We'd better hurry," Isabel spoke up. "We need to make sure everything's working properly before he leaves."

Maria watched Liz as the other girl watched Max, her eyes following the others' movements as they went over the equipment, setting it up and checking it to make sure they had solid contact between the earpiece, microphone, and the laptop. She could see how uneasy her old friend was and she was sure that in Liz's position she'd be just as uncomfortable with putting Michael in danger.

"They're doing everything they can to keep her from getting her claws into him again," she said quietly.

Liz turned when she heard the words and she forced a smile when she realized that Maria was trying to make her feel better. "Thank you." She moved closer to the other girl, the distance from the others providing them with a bit of privacy. "I'm not sure what she does to him when she gets in his head like that, but it can't be good… she's manipulating his mind and doing God only knows what else. I know he's an alien, but she could be damaging his brain for all we know. There would have to be side effects to this kind of thing, wouldn't you think?"

Maria bit back a smirk. _"I know he's an alien." Who would've ever thought she could seriously entertain a conversation where that line was spoken?_ "Maybe… and maybe she hasn't done it enough to cause any damage yet. Has he seemed different than normal? I mean, when she doesn't have him under her evil voodoo black magic?"

"No, not really. Once she backs off or he gets away from her he turns right back into the guy I love." She sighed in frustration. "Now that he knows what she's been doing to him he's freaked out about it. He feels completely violated."

"We're gonna find a way to stop that, Liz… all of us, together."

"We should get goin'," Michael said, interrupting their conversation. "He's good to go and we need to get to the quarry first."

Max held his hand out to Liz. "Walk out with me?"

She nodded and took his hand, walking out to the jeep to say goodbye in private.

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Max swallowed hard as he parked in front of Tess' house and he inhaled deeply before getting out and walking up to her front door. It was the last place he wanted to be but he knew there wasn't really another option open to them. He knocked on the door and stood back, trying not to fidget and give his nervousness away. He forced a smile when the door opened and Tess smiled brightly in welcome.

"Max, you're a few minutes early!"

"Oh, uh, sorry." He shrugged. "It's a beautiful day and I just wanted to make the most of it."

She smiled at his eager tone. "Then we should go." She reached behind her and grabbed a small handbag off of the table by the door before locking up and turning to look at him. "I hope I'm dressed okay. I've never been invited to spend an afternoon in the desert."

Max made himself pause and take a moment to look at her, his eyes sweeping over her figure. "You look very nice." He smiled and hoped it came across as sincere because he couldn't care less what she looked like. He offered her his hand as she stepped up into the jeep and then walked around to the drivers' side to climb in behind the wheel.

"I was surprised that you called," she said as he pulled out onto the street. "I mean, it was a nice surprise, but I wasn't expecting it." She made a face. "You've made such a point about being with Liz and I guess she's nice for a…" she trailed off as she caught herself.

"Nice for what?" he asked.

"Well, for a small town teenage girl, but I just can't see the two of you together. She's beneath you… you deserve to be with someone who understands who you are." She studied him for several moments, trying to gauge his reaction to her words.

Max concentrated on Liz's voice as they drove, biting back a smile when he heard her less than congenial response to Tess' comments. "Maybe we should just concentrate on the two of us," he said, unable to dredge up a single derogatory remark about the girl who held his heart.

She nodded, deciding to let it go for now. She looked around at the desert landscape, thinking that it was only fitting that he would think a desert picnic would be a nice place to spend the afternoon. He had been brainwashed by humans and raised in a backwater tourist trap that made a mockery of the truth. "Where're we going?"

"It's just a couple more miles from here. It's a nice spot out at the old quarry." He glanced at her. "It's amazing at night; the stars come out and reflect off of the water."

Tess looked ahead a few minutes later when he pointed at the entrance to the quarry that had come into view. Her expression turned quizzical when he pulled around an outcropping of rocks and she saw two other vehicles there. She slowly turned to glance at him when he parked and quickly got out of the jeep, shoving the keys in his pocket.

"What's going on?"

"You're not here to ask the questions," Max said as he backed away to stand next to Liz when she emerged alongside the others.

Tess stared at them. Isabel, Alex, Liz… and two others… two others that she recognized from that night in the woods. They had been there, looking down at the symbol that night. She studied the other two, trying to determine their place in the group. _The hold the humans had over the aliens was significant,_ she thought as she realized that she had made a slight miscalculation. Max hadn't been under her control at all since he had picked her up. Somehow, some way, they had figured out what she was doing and they had found a way to intercept her. _No, it wasn't possible,_ she denied. She had to take control of the situation before they were able to gain the upper hand.

She took a step back, her gaze sweeping over the group as she drew upon her reserves and let the power build within her. Her mind was racing as she scrambled to figure out what she was going to do. Concentrating on multiple subjects took a lot more effort than controlling a single subject and it was difficult to maintain a hold on them while trying to plot out her next move. But she could feel her powers gaining a foothold in their weak minds and she felt a moment of triumph. Now she just had to decide the best course of action to take while she had them under control.

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	108. Chapter 107

**Author's Note: **Just wanted to let everyone know we hadn't updated on our normal schedule because I have been ill for the past month. We should be back on schedule now!

**Part 107**

Michael shook his head when he felt the strangest sensation behind his eyes and he fought against the feeling that something was trying to control him. Within seconds he realized it must be Tess and what he was feeling was what Max and Isabel had both described when they had talked about losing time around the girl. He flexed his right hand, letting the power build just long enough for him to bring his arm up and open his palm in her direction.

Tess' eyes flew open in shock as something not quite physical hit her in the center of her chest and threw her backwards, knocking her off of her feet. She landed on her back on the ground, shaking her head as she tried to figure out what had just happened. She had never experienced anything like that when using her powers to control others and she hurried to scramble back up to her feet.

Isabel was reaching up to rub her temple when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye and she followed Michael's lead, throwing her hand out in front of her just as Tess began to move. The pain that always followed one of Tess' controlling sessions quickly dissipated, indicating that she hadn't been able to gain a foothold this time.

As the pressure behind his eyes began to ease Max felt relief wash over him and he took a couple of steps back when he saw Tess moving to get to her feet. He reached blindly for Liz' hand and pulled her closer as his free hand came up, fingers splayed and his powers carefully harnessed as he kept Tess in his sights.

Maria was rubbing her temple and trying to figure out what had just happened when she realized that at some point Michael had pulled her back to stand behind him and he held her wrist in an iron grip. She reached down to massage the back of his hand, silently letting him know that she was alright so he would ease his protective grip.

"Stay back!" he yelled when Tess began to move towards them again.

Tess stopped at his commanding tone and her eyes moved over them, taking in their battle-ready stances and the way they protected their humans, using their own bodies as shields. She snorted derisively and straightened herself up to her full height, refusing to be intimidated by them. They had no idea who they were, no idea how far beneath them human beings were, or just how much they were really capable of.

A slow smile caused her lips to curl up at the corners as her eyes settled on the third, and unexpected, alien facing off against her. The other two she had known about of course, but she hadn't suspected him even though she had seen him with the others standing over the symbol that night in the woods.

Michael didn't like the way she was watching him, her gaze cold and calculating as she smiled in a way that somehow didn't seem human. No, she wasn't human, but something about her felt… _off_… like she was there for a single purpose, some agenda that they knew nothing about.

Tess watched them as they faced off against her and she slowly reached up to rub the back of her head where it had smacked against the ground. "That was impressive," she said, brushing the sand from her clothes. She was biding her time, waiting for them to relax their guard. "I have to admit, this isn't what I was expecting when you asked me to go out with you, Max."

The dark-haired alien watched her warily. "My only interest in you is finding out what you know and why you're messing with our heads."

"You're so foolish," she muttered contemptuously. "You have no idea who you are… why you were sent here… no idea what your future holds."

They glanced at each other, wondering if she really had all of the answers as she was implying. Michael crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at her, eyes narrowed as he tried to decipher her expression.

She was careful to maintain a neutral expression. "You want to know what I know." Her tone held an air of superiority as her gaze moved over them, assessing their level of watchfulness.

Michael maintained a suspicious demeanor as he studied her. He was certain she was just waiting for an opening to try to control them again. He didn't move a single muscle when Max spoke up in response to her statement.

"What do you know?"

He watched as that same smile settled on her face when she focused on Max. _She thought she had them,_ he realized. Max had given her the opening she had been waiting for.

"I know everything you want to know," she said, her voice low and even. "You've spent your whole lives wondering why you're here and how you even got here in the first place." Her tone was mesmerizing as she lured them into a false sense of security, allowing them to believe that she was simply answering a question while she was doing her best to distract them so she could slip into their minds again.

The pressure began to build behind their eyes, the only physical indicator that let them know Tess was attempting to control them once more. The three of them reacted as one unit, raising their hands and unleashing a burst of power that threw Tess back several feet and succeeded in breaking her concentration.

They looked at each other, taking notice of their similar stances. All three of them had assumed the same position, feet braced wide and one arm held stiffly out in front of their bodies, fingers splayed and their palms facing out. They exchanged confused looks as they wondered about the instinctive reaction. It had felt completely natural for the three of them to act together, but how was that possible?

Tess shook her head as she stood up, once again brushing her clothes off. They were stronger than she had expected and mind-warping them as a group wasn't going to work. One on one she was able to control them, but there were just too many to control at once. She was going to have to make them believe that she was willing to share information and work with them if she was going to gain their trust. She needed more time to work on them separately. She was positive that with enough time she would be able to make them see things her way.

"Don't try that again," Michael warned. "We've got questions and you're not leavin' here until you answer them."

Isabel took a step forward but paused when something stopped her from going any further and she glanced down. She had no idea when she had taken Alex' hand and she lifted her gaze to his face as she released him.

"She's dangerous," he said quietly. "I know this has to be done, but be careful."

She nodded and took another step, stopping once again when something held her back. This time it was her brother and Michael, each of them had put a hand on her arms to prevent her from going forward.

"What do you think you're doin'?" Michael demanded. "If anyone's gonna question her it's gonna be me."

"I'm the one she's been so focused on so I'll question her," Max insisted. "Isabel, you can't just treat her like one of your – " He swallowed hard and took a step back when she straightened up to her full height and turned her trademark stare on him.

"Wuss," Michael muttered. "Look, you two can argue about this later. I'll handle this." He unconsciously took a step back when Isabel turned the look on him. _Okay, so she was a little intimidating,_ he thought, impressed in spite of himself. _It would probably be a lot safer if they didn't piss her off._

Isabel turned back to Tess, missing the quick look of understanding that passed between Max and Michael. She focused her attention on the other girl, advancing on her but leaving a safe distance between them. "You say you have all the answers… who we are, how we got here, and information about the future, so start talking."

Tess propped her hands on her hips as she faced off against Isabel, her expression challenging. "You've spent years surrounded by humans, immersed in their culture, and being brainwashed to be just like them." She shook her head at them. "Your acceptance of this inferior way of life has allowed you to forget who you are and where you come from." She could see that they weren't going to let this go and she wasn't going to get away from them until she had given them the answers they were searching for.

"Enlighten us," Isabel snapped. She wasn't interested in listening to riddles, she only wanted answers. "Start with us being found in the desert."

Tess shook her head. "I wasn't found in the desert. The chamber where the incubation pods were hidden is in the desert. Best guess is you came out before I did and somehow you found your way out of the chamber and into the desert. I don't know how you got separated from each other. I was able to locate the two of you," she said, nodding at Max and Isabel. "The story about you being found was splashed all over the papers as was the story about you being adopted by humans."

Isabel's eyes narrowed at the way Tess said the word _humans_ as if it left a bad taste in her mouth. "You have a problem with us being adopted?"

"They're humans… they're not worth our time. You come from a planet where you were royalty and you've been reduced to… to… this!" she sputtered indignantly as she waved her right hand over their appearances. "You were a princess, Isabel. Max was a king." Her gaze shifted to Michael and she studied him for a moment. "You would've been the soldier, his second in command."

The tall blonde wasn't impressed. "And you?"

Tess leveled a condescending look at Liz. "I was the king's bride."

Max turned to look at Liz as he took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "That's not who I am, Liz."

"It may not be who you are right now," Tess scoffed, "but it's who you're destined to be. And I'm the woman you're destined to be with."

"No! We're – "

Isabel's left hand shot up in the air, stopping his question before it could completely be voiced. "You're talking about us in the past tense."

"You're 17 years old! Do you honestly think these bodies are the same bodies you had on another planet?" Tess laughed derisively. "These bodies were necessary for our survival on Earth. Our scientists had to essentially create these bodies using a mix of alien and human DNA and then it was a matter of cloning and transferring our essence into the embryos. The incubation pods took care of the rest, keeping us safely cocooned until our bodies had matured enough to allow us to come out."

"For them to clone our…" Isabel wrinkled her nose, "essence, we were…?"

"Dead. We were sent here to preserve who we were so that we could one day return to our home planet and defeat our enemies. The four of us were meant to be together." She glanced at Maria and Alex before pinning Isabel with her cold stare. "I was meant to be with Max, our king, and you were meant to be with Michael, his second in command." She frowned when none of them looked like they believed her. "Look, this is the way it was meant to be! It's our destiny and you can't turn your backs on a planet that needs you!"

Isabel still wasn't convinced and she didn't like the way Tess continued to refer to humans as if they were insignificant. "How did we get here? And when did we get here?"

"We were in the 1947 crash."

Michael's expression remained neutral, giving nothing away in spite of his surprise that his speculations were correct.

"So, you expect us to drop everything we have here because you say we have some sort of destiny?" Isabel shook her head. "We have lives here, we have families, people we care about… we're not just forgetting about all of that and hopping on a spaceship to go fight a war that we were apparently losing over 50 years ago!"

Tess' blue eyes flashed with hatred as she waved at the human contingent. "They're nothing!" she yelled. "They only serve to interfere and further integrate you into their world. You were raised as humans but with the right training we can correct that. We can restore you to the superior beings we are."

Isabel zeroed in on a single word. "We?" she repeated.

"Her father," Michael said as he moved up next to Isabel, carefully keeping his body between Tess and Maria. "Nacedo… he's your father."

She wasn't fast enough to keep the surprise from showing at his knowledge of Nacedo's existence. "He's not my father, he's our protector and he will do whatever is necessary, whatever he wants to do, to protect us and to ensure that our destiny is carried out."

"Including killing anyone he sees as a threat?" Max asked, his voice raised. "Our families, our friends, anyone we care about?"

Tess hesitated and her silence was enough of an answer for everyone there. They glanced at each other, trying to let everything they had learned sink in. "If we're finished here, I'd like to go home." Without waiting for another word from any of them she stalked over to the jeep and climbed into the passengers' seat.

Isabel chewed on her thumbnail as she stared at Tess. "Okay, what now? We can't exactly keep her here."

"She knows who we are," Michael said. He nodded at the humans in their group. "She knows who they are now."

"Trying to keep her here or somewhere else would serve no purpose," Max said after a couple of minutes. "She knows who we are, but we know who she is too. She can't reveal the truth about us without revealing herself. But it's not safe for any of us to be alone with her out there. We need to take her back to her place and meet up again to figure out what we're gonna do next."

"That's a good idea," Michael agreed.

Isabel nodded. "You can't ride back to Roswell with her, Max."

"I'll ride back with them," Liz said without missing a beat.

"Maybe it would be better if I rode back with them," Isabel said.

"She seems to have more trouble controlling multiple minds at the same time, but it also seems to be more difficult for her to establish that control when we're with you guys," Liz argued. "Whether you go or not, I'm going with Max."

Isabel bit her bottom lip. "You're right about that. I've noticed it before… she tried to get in my head at school a while back but when Alex touched me it's like I snapped out of it. I saw the same thing happen with Max and Liz… it's like that connection somehow creates a barrier that she can't get past."

"Then Isabel and I can follow you guys," Alex spoke up. He didn't want her any closer to Tess than was absolutely necessary. "When we get into town we'll head over to my house and Maria and Michael can follow you to Tess' house and make sure you get to my place with no trouble."

Max nodded. "That's the plan then. Let's do this and get it over with."

The group split up, going to their respective vehicles and as they approached the jeep Liz locked gazes with Tess. They hadn't come this far so she could just hand Max over to some alien girl who claimed to be his wife on another planet and in another lifetime. She stopped next to the girl and stared her down while she waited for her to move.

"You'll never be able to keep him… he was born to embrace his destiny, to return to his home planet where he'll retake the throne and take me as his wife."

"You're in my seat," Liz stated calmly. She couldn't let Tess get to her. She had to be strong and keep her head on straight. If she lost her cool she could jeopardize Max's safety. Tess could easily be attempting to distract her so that she could get her claws into his mind and control him. She refused to think about anything Tess had told them as she continued to stare unblinkingly at the alien girl.

"She said you're in her seat, Tess. Move to the back," Max ordered as he slid in behind the wheel. He was relieved when she complied with his demand and moved to the back of the jeep so Liz could slide into her seat.


	109. Chapter 108

**Part 108**

Maria shifted in her seat to look at Michael as they drove back to Roswell, following closely behind Max and Liz. _And Tess,_ she thought silently with a glance at the vehicle ahead of them. She wondered how much of what the alien girl had said was true or if any of it was even true. It was obvious that she had some sort of fixation where Max was concerned, but had she concocted that whole story just to get what she wanted? What if it was true? What if there was some sort of destiny the four of them were supposed to follow? What if who they were, what they were, really was the difference between an entire planet's ability to survive a war?

"I don't believe it," Michael said finally, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"What?"

"All that bull she was spoutin' about us bein' some sort of royalty and destined to be together." He snorted and shook his head. "She's obviously out of her mind."

"Okay, but how do we know what she said isn't true?" She didn't want to believe any of it was true because it would mean the future was even more uncertain than she already believed it to be.

"Whether what she said about how we came to be here is true or not, I don't know." He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe that part is true and maybe it's not. It would at least explain part of the story. Do I believe that the destiny thing holds any credibility? No. Goin' on her explanation we arrived here more than 50 years ago. To our knowledge she has no contact with our planet or anyone who might still be alive… which is somethin' we'll need to bring up next time we meet with her. But we don't know how long this war was goin' on before we were sent here, we don't know how long it took to get here, and like Isabel pointed out… that's a long time for a war to be goin' on."

Maria nodded. "That ability she has to get into people's heads and control them is pretty scary," she admitted.

"Yeah, we're gonna have to watch her closely. Especially where you're concerned," he said with a frown.

"Why where I'm concerned?"

"Because I don't live here, Maria." His thumb tapped against the steering wheel erratically as he slowed down for a stoplight when they reached the main street that ran through Roswell. "You shouldn't have been out there today. I don't know what I was thinkin', lettin' you go out there," he berated himself.

"I didn't need your permission to go out to the quarry," she snapped, annoyed at his assumption that she had only gone because he had allowed it.

"You're in danger now," he bit out, trying to keep his temper in check.

"I've got news for you, Michael. We're all in danger now and you're the only one pushin' the person who cares about you away."

"I'm not pushin' you away!" he yelled, smacking his fist against the dashboard. "Damn it, Maria, she's got abilities that the rest of us don't have and she's admitted that Nacedo would willingly kill any human who gets in the way of this destiny bullshit!"

"I'm involved in this, Michael. All the way. I don't care what happens or how they come at us, I'm not leaving you alone to deal with this." She shook her head when he glared at her angrily. She knew he wasn't mad at her; he was scared for her, worried that he couldn't keep her safe and it came out as anger. But it didn't cool her own temper or stop her from yelling back at him when she responded.

"It's not safe for you, Maria. Not like this and not with her and Nacedo runnin' around loose in the town you live in. You have no way to protect yourself from them and I live too far away to be effective at a moment's notice."

"Then we'll have to talk to the others and rely on them – "

"No! Damn it, Maria!" He slammed on the brakes, the truck stopping a hair's breadth from the bumper on the jeep in front of them when Max pulled over in front of a large house. He watched Tess as she climbed out of the jeep, narrowing his eyes when she paused halfway to the house to look at them. Her expression was contemplative as she stared at Maria for several long seconds before turning her head to shift her gaze to the other girl.

Maria shivered at the alien girl's icy gaze. "I'm not denying that she's dangerous, Michael, but we've gotta be realistic about this." She swallowed hard when the subject of their conversation disappeared into the house. "You can't be here all the time and I'm pretty sure your mom would go ballistic if I came out to stay with you, so we have no choice but to rely on the others." She held a hand up to silence him when he started to protest. "No, let me finish."

He motioned for her to go on as he pulled away from the curb to follow Max once more.

"I know you don't like it. To be completely honest, I'm not that thrilled with it myself, but if it's them or nothing, I'll take my chances with them. I'm not gonna do anything to intentionally put myself in danger, but just the fact that she lives here, goes to the same school, and I could potentially run into her at any given time means that the threat will be there no matter what I do."

"I'd rather it be me lookin' out for you," he growled.

"Yeah, well, that makes two of us, but we've got enough issues to work through with your mom without adding any fuel to that particular fire."

"I still don't like it," he muttered as he pulled up behind Max when they reached their destination.

There was no point going back and forth over the same thing they had already covered so Maria opened the door and climbed out of the truck, hearing his annoyed grunt when he tried to shove his own door open unsuccessfully. She bit back a smile when his irritated gaze scanned over the door and he realized that he had pushed the lock down with his elbow. He quickly unlocked the door and shoved it open, shooting a quick glare at her when he heard her snickering.

Maria's attention was drawn to Liz when she realized she hadn't yet gotten out of the jeep. She watched Max walk around to stand next to her, his right hand reaching up to cup her cheek when she turned her head to look at him. She could see the confusion warring with fear in her old friend's face as she tried to assure her boyfriend that she was okay.

Liz was anything but okay and Maria knew it. She had a feeling Max knew it too, but what could he do about it? She knew in Liz' position she'd be feeling pretty insecure at the moment too. What Tess had told them at the quarry had yet to be determined as truth or lies, but she alone was enough to give Maria a healthy dose of fear. Liz had an additional concern though – Tess wasn't just interested in Max, she believed they had a destiny to fulfill as a couple. It was bad enough when another girl had an interest in your boyfriend, but knowing that your competition was an alien with designs on him was a very different story.

She raised her head to look into the garage where Alex and Isabel were talking quietly and she could see the concern on his features. She wondered what it was like for him as the guy dating an alien girl. His girlfriend was the one who had been standing between him and Tess at the quarry, her abilities putting her in a position to protect him. She looked over at Michael when he cleared his throat and she nodded as she joined him to walk into the garage.

"You didn't have any trouble with Tess?" Alex asked, looking up from his conversation with Isabel.

"No, but you can bet she's already plannin' her next move," Michael said as he leaned back against one of the worktables and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, I agree with that," Alex muttered. "She's too devious to be doin' anything but thinkin' about her next move."

"We can't just sit around and wait for her to do whatever she's gonna do." Isabel started to pace, the pendant on her necklace rasping against the chain as she dragged it back and forth. "It's too risky… what if they go after our families?" She paused to look at Alex. "Or you guys? She made it pretty clear that Nacedo would have no problem killing anyone who gets in the way of their plans." She shook her head. "We can't be together all the time… we're all gonna be in danger at times as long as they're here."

"It'd be nice if we knew how much of what she told us was true and how much of it she made up to try to convince us what she was sayin' was true."

Alex chewed on his bottom lip thoughtfully. He was hesitant to mention what was on his mind because it could potentially put Isabel in danger.

"He's right," Liz said as she and Max joined them.

Michael's head snapped up and his right eyebrow lifted in surprise. She was the last person he would expect to agree with him about anything. "What?"

"What you said about us needing to know what was true and what was made up… we need to know," she said. She inhaled deeply and turned to look at Isabel. "What about that thing you can do? Where you go into people's dreams?"

Isabel shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know," she hedged. "She's alien, I don't know if it'll work the same way."

"Hold it," Michael interrupted. "You can just get into people's heads like she can?"

"It's not the same thing," she denied. "I can go into people's dreams but I can't alter them or make things happen… I'm just there like an observer."

"It's too big of a risk," Alex spoke up. "We don't know if she knows about the abilities the three of you have. She could be expecting somethin' like that. Her ability to get into people's heads, the way she can take control…" he shook his head. "No, if she was expecting Isabel to try the dream thing she could switch things around and take control in a completely different way."

"You're right, there's too much risk involved," Max agreed.

"Okay then, what's our next move, your highness?" Michael asked when Max immediately nixed the only advantage they seemed to have. "We can't just sit back while the threat's out there."

Max bristled at the challenging tone in Michael's voice. "Our next move is to make sure the people we love are safe."

"That's gonna be easier for us than it is for him, Max," Isabel said when she realized that Michael had stayed close to Maria since entering the garage.

"What makes you think it'll be any…" Max glanced between Michael and Maria as his sister's point was clarified. "Oh."

"Michael is safe to a certain extent right now because Tess knows next to nothing about him," Maria said. "She doesn't know where he lives or anything about his family."

"The fact that I don't live here makes it a little safer for me and my family but it makes it more dangerous for Maria."

"Even if you were here you couldn't be with her 24/7," Alex said with a glance at the other two aliens. "The best we can do is make sure none of us are alone during the day."

Isabel was watching Michael as he considered what Alex was saying. "What about your parents? They're more isolated and if Tess does figure out where you live they could be in danger too."

"My family will know what they need to know."

"That's right," Isabel said slowly, "you said they know the truth."

"They know." He met her gaze, seeing the wistfulness there. She and Max had been forced to keep the truth from their parents and he could see that it wasn't something she liked.

"We're gonna have to keep an eye out for each other," Alex said. "We can buddy up at school, that's not a problem. There're at least two of us in the classes we have with Tess, so I think we'll be okay there. Most days we're hangin' out at the Crashdown after school anyway so that'll take care of afternoons and early evenings."

"But Maria doesn't work the same hours anymore," Liz said quietly. Before everything that had happened she and Maria had worked nearly identical hours every day.

Michael tapped his thumb against his bottom lip as he thought about that and he glanced at Maria. "You're gonna have to start workin' more hours or somethin'," he muttered, not liking that option either. "It's not gonna be safe for you to be alone and my parents are never gonna let me drive over here every day. I'll be able to get away a couple days a week and we're good for weekends but durin' the week it wouldn't hurt for you to be with the rest of them." He shrugged. "There's somethin' to be said for safety in numbers."

Max nodded silently. "We should work out a schedule, make sure we don't have any gaps that'll give Tess an advantage."

Alex grabbed a marker and a cloth as he walked over to the wall where an old dry erase board had been hung up. "Isabel and I started workin' on a schedule when we got back here."

Liz and Maria glanced at each other when the others all migrated across the garage to stand around the board and debate the best way to arrange their buddy system. They both wanted to say something, reassure each other, but neither of them knew just what to say to the other.

"What do you think about this situation with Tess?" Maria asked finally, trying to find something to break the ice.

"I think she's insane," Liz muttered. "She's been after him since the first day she got here. It was bad enough when she was just some other girl, but she's not… she's an alien like him and I don't know what to think about the way he acts around her. What if it's not just her controlling him? What if it's more than that? What if the way he gets when she's around, like she's the only other person in the room, is because she is an alien and that's the way it's supposed to be? What if all that stuff she said about them being royalty is true?"

Maria listened to Liz as the words rushed out of her mouth, tumbling over each other as she tried to get them out as fast as possible. "And what if she's just using what she says she knows to her advantage? I don't really know Max, but I know he's ridiculously in love with you. That'd be obvious to a blind person, Liz. And none of them seem all that interested in following some destiny that was set in place decades ago… a destiny that for all we know is bogus."

"You don't believe they're royalty or that there's some destiny they're supposed to fulfill?"

Maria shrugged. "I don't know, maybe they were royalty in a past life." She glanced at the others. "I could definitely see Isabel in that category," she said with a quiet laugh. "But ultimately I believe that what we do in life is our decision. I don't believe that they have no choice but to follow that one single path."

"If it's even true," Liz whispered.

"Which we don't know that it is." She snorted. "I can tell you what Michael thinks of it and he's not gonna follow some plan that he had nothing to do with making in the first place. Isabel made herself pretty clear and I didn't hear Max stutter when he told you that some king married to Tess isn't who he is."

"Yeah," she said with a soft smile. Max had been adamant that he had no intention of following Tess' destiny plan.

"Hey, Liz, Maria," Alex called. "We need some help with your schedules over here."

The two girls exchanged a quick look as the moment was interrupted. They shared a small smile before going to join the others.


	110. Chapter 109

**Part 109**

Tess sat on the couch, her eyes following the tall alien pacing in front of her. Unlike her and the others Nacedo lacked the human component. She wasn't happy about being part human, but knew it had been necessary for her survival on Earth and while she had accepted it, she hadn't embraced it as the others had.

She had told Nacedo about the meeting and he wasn't pleased with the outcome. He had anticipated some refusal to cooperate but their outright rejection of their destiny had made him angry. He hadn't expected to learn that the other three knew of his existence because it most likely meant that there was at least one human who was aware of it and that created another threat.

"Their connection to the humans is strong," he said finally, his voice cold.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"It is my duty to protect the four of you. Humans are our enemies and casualties among them are acceptable. Your survival must be ensured regardless of the cost." He paused to stare at her for several long minutes and when he spoke his tone was accusing. "You couldn't control them."

"Controlling a group of humans is different, Nacedo. But the three of them together are too powerful to control at once."

"It's the second in command," he stated decisively. "You'll need to work on him. He was a considerable force on Antar. You cannot underestimate his abilities. You do not know what lengths our enemies went to in order to render him ineffectual. He was a formidable warrior in his previous life. You must begin working on him; he won't be easy to control. Your abilities have become stronger over time but his mind will be difficult to manipulate."

Tess shook her head. "I can handle him."

He turned his cold, lifeless eyes on her. "Do not overestimate your skills where the second in command is concerned. The four of you have different abilities that you excel at and we do not know enough about him to determine which of his abilities he's learned to use. We've had time to study the king and his sister; the second in command is an unknown at this point. Underestimating him would be a mistake."

She was silent as she watched him. She knew his mind was actively processing the afternoon's events and determining their next course of action.

"It is imperative that we determine the extent of the human's knowledge where our existence is concerned. Any threat to us must be found and eliminated. From our observations and the use of your skills we know the king and his sister are both limited in the use of their abilities. Part of that can be attributed to the secrecy surrounding them. The second in command was able to break free of the mindwarp, which indicates he has better control of his abilities."

"That just means he's had more practice."

He paused and turned to look at her. "It means that there is a threat to us out there and it is connected to him. You have to get close to him in order to determine the extent of the threat so that I can eliminate it."

"You think the humans he lives with know about him? What he is?" Tess asked, her voice colored with disbelief.

"Someone connected to him knows the truth."

"His girlfriend, Maria."

"Their relationships with these humans are of little consequence but they will be dealt with at the appropriate time. One cannot rush these things," he mused with a smile that was pure evil. Over the years his hatred of humans had grown and his retaliation against those that had crossed his path had become a pleasure rather than simply a matter of defending himself.

"I'll see them at school tomorrow."

"They'll be expecting you."

"I know what to do, Nacedo." Her mind's eye brought up a picture of Maria and a smile appeared on otherwise emotionless features. She knew exactly what to do to if she was going to face Michael again.

xxxxx

Michael parked the truck in front of his house and sat there for several minutes as he went over everything he had learned in the past few days. He knew it was time to tell his parents what was going on. He had hoped to get past the holidays first but the meeting with Tess that afternoon had made him realize that waiting would be too risky. His family needed to know what was going on in case Tess ever managed to discover anything about them because he had no doubt that she or Nacedo would target them.

Catherine was chopping vegetables for a salad to go with dinner when she heard the truck pull into the driveway. She reached up to brush the curtain back to look outside and she paused when she saw her son just sitting there.

"What're you doin'?" John asked as he entered the kitchen with the newspaper. He was just now getting a chance to sit down and browse through the paper.

"Michael just got home and he's just sitting in the truck." Her eyes narrowed as she went over possible reasons for his unusual behavior. "What do you think he's doing out there?" She waited barely a moment before continuing. "Maybe I should go out and make sure he's okay."

"Give it a few minutes and he'll come inside." He sat down at the island and opened the newspaper, flipping through it until he had found the section he wanted.

Catherine went back to her salad preparations but her gaze continued to move to the window, checking on her son. She smiled when a familiar jeep pulled up at the end of the driveway and Maggie jumped out, leaning back inside to talk to Linda and Christina for several minutes before the girls drove off.

Maggie hefted her backpack up and hooked the strap over her shoulder as she walked up to the house and she stopped just past the truck, turning and frowning at her brother. She walked a half dozen steps back and rested her elbows on the open window, watching him. "What're you doing?" she asked.

"What's it look like I'm doin'?" he asked as he looked at her.

"Looks to me like you're about a million miles away. What's on your mind?"

"Just… things." He knew the vague response wouldn't appease her curiosity and he forced a smile. "Need to talk to Mom an' Dad about somethin'… you too."

She sobered at his tone. Something was wrong. "Are you okay?" she asked sharply, her eyes moving over him.

"I'm fine, Maggie. There's just some things goin' on that you guys need to be aware of."

"Things," she said slowly. "Dangerous things?"

Michael's thumb moved over a tear in the steering wheel cover as he nodded. "Could be, yeah." He opened the door and got out so he could walk up to the house with her. He reached out to tug on the keychain hanging from the zipper tab on her backpack. "Doin' homework on a Sunday?" he teased.

"Gotta do it sometime," she said. "Mom thinks I did it yesterday and I was just helpin' Christina with hers today." She made a face. "Can you imagine her reaction if she found out I hadn't done any of it until today?"

He smirked. Yeah, Mom would have a fit about that.

"So, whatever you need to talk about… you gonna go talk to Mom and Dad about it now or you gonna wait until after dinner?"

"No, I don't think it should wait any longer."

They were silent as they made their way into the house and Maggie motioned to the hallway to let him know she was going to go drop her backpack off and she'd be back in a minute. He nodded and shrugged out of his jacket, tossing it on the couch in the living room before going into the kitchen.

"You kids cleaned that barn up and fed the animals in record time this mornin'," John said as he turned the page on his paper and glanced up at his son.

He shrugged. "We had plans for the day."

Catherine looked up when Maggie ran into the room. "Plans, huh?"

"Maggie had to help Christina with her homework and I had plans with Maria," he said and waited to see if his mom had anything to say about that.

"You missed the pageant last night," she said after a few moments.

"I got busy and forgot."

"What had you so busy?"

He shrugged his right shoulder and leaned back against the counter next to the refrigerator. "You remember that sighting we chased a while back? The one in Frasier Woods?"

"Yes, we remember that," she answered. "You found that symbol."

"Found somethin' else that night, just didn't know it at the time." He took a deep breath. "When we found that symbol there were four others there… two of them, they're just like me."

Catherine paused, the salad forgotten. Others like him. My God, what would that mean for them, for their family? Would he leave to be with these others, to get to know them? Would they want him to abandon his family? She turned to her husband and she knew he could read the growing panic in her eyes when he made a simple gesture with his left hand, sending her a calming message. How many times had she seen him use that same gesture with a skittish horse? She took in a deep breath and turned back to Michael. "You said there were four," she said. "Two that're like you. So, the other two would be…"

"Human," Michael said.

"How do you know that there're two others like you?"

Michael shook his head. "There're three like me. The two we met that night, Max and Isabel, and the girl and guy they're dating, Liz and Alex. The third one I met today and she's like us, but… she's dangerous."

Catherine's breath stilled in her chest for a second. Dangerous? There was a dangerous alien around her son? "These other kids, they know about you?"

"Yeah, but they're okay. Tess, she's the problem." He drew in a deep breath. "She's been raised by Nacedo."

John glanced at his wife when the knife she had been using to chop vegetables was slammed down on the cutting board. He reached over to take her hand and pull her around to sit down beside him. "Go on, Son."

Michael explained everything he had learned over the past few days, telling them about meeting the others, his suspicion that Isabel and he were actually related, the meeting with Tess, and his concerns about her and Nacedo being a threat to anyone connected to him, Max or Isabel.

His parents listened until he had finished what he had to say and when he was done his hands wrapped around the edge of the counter behind him, knuckles white as he waited for their response. He didn't know if his mother would blame this on Maria or if she would be focused on the potential danger he had found himself in. Danger that could very well land on their doorstep.

Maggie's gaze bounced between her brother and her parents, wondering how they would take this news.

John squeezed his wife's hand, silently requesting her silence. He looked at their children and took a deep breath before speaking. "Michael, Maggie, why don't the two of you go get ready for dinner," he suggested. "Let's take a few minutes to let this news settle and we'll discuss it more after we eat, alright?"

"Okay, Dad," Michael agreed with another glance at his mother.

Maggie grabbed her brother's sleeve and pulled him out of the room when their father cleared his throat to get the two of them moving. "C'mon, Michael, let's go talk." She wasn't really worried that she could lose him over this, but… what would it mean to their relationship now that he had a potential sister who was like him?

5


	111. Chapter 110

**Part 110**

Catherine stood and began to pace, her fingers worriedly knotting the dishtowel in her hands. "I told you it was dangerous to let him chase these sightings, John! That it was a mistake to let him continue seeing Maria – "

"Whether or not Maria had come into his life he wouldn't have stopped searching for his answers, Catherine. The boy needs to know where he came from and why he's here. Her encouragement for him to seek those answers is not a bad thing."

"And now he's found others like him… and two others that are dangerous! Damn it, John, how can you stand there and so calmly tell me that you think this was a good idea?" She turned to face him, her expression one of anger born of fear.

John sighed, knowing very well that when she was in this state it was difficult to get her to be reasonable. "I understand your concern over him findin' others like him who are dangerous, but he's also found others like him that he's connected with. Did you bother noticing the way that boy's eyes lit up when he was talkin' about them?" He doubted she had heard much past the point where he had spoken of Nacedo and Tess. "He didn't have to come to us with this, Cath. He could've easily kept this information to himself and carried on with a life that he kept separate from us, but he didn't. He came to us knowing that he could safely reveal the identities of others like him and he's probably hoping that at the very least we would be able to accept this information."

"He could get hurt, John." She stared out through the window and felt her heart clench tightly in her chest. "He could leave and we could lose him over this."

He didn't respond immediately. It was a possibility of course, but he trusted Michael to not abandon his family. "He's learnin' about who he is and where he came from. He's getting to know others like him. This isn't pushin' him away from us. He came to us with it because he wants our approval and our acceptance. This will make him stronger and it'll give him somethin' we can never give him no matter how much we love him. He needs that connection to wherever he's from and knowin' these others like him may give him that."

Catherine swallowed with difficulty as she forced her next words out. "What if he decides to leave?" she asked quietly. "Leaving home to go to college was going to be difficult enough to handle, but to lose him to an entirely different solar system or wherever they're from…" she shook her head.

"Then we'll have to find a way to deal with it. Nothing he said indicated that he intended to leave or that he was even thinkin' about that." He crossed the room to stand in front of her and he took the towel and tossed it aside before taking her hands in his and squeezing them tightly. "We knew from the beginning that at some point we might have to let him go."

"Yes, but I never really thought he would find anything. We've heard plenty about sightings and he's chased after a lot of them but I had hoped that he'd eventually give it up."

John couldn't help but snort at his wife's words. Michael give up? Not a chance in hell! "You may have hoped but that boy's got a stubborn streak that rivals your own. You knew he'd never let it go, woman. I'll tell you the same thing I told you when his interest in Maria became apparent – tell him to invite his new friends over for dinner one night. You never know, Catherine, perhaps it might help them to be around others who know the truth." He smiled gently. "They've been raised by humans and their own parents may or may not know the truth, but you know how important it is for them to know that there are people they can trust."

"He's our son, John. I just don't want to lose him over this."

"Then stop tryin' to come between him and the people who have accepted him and who are encouraging him to embrace who he is. Things haven't been the same between the two of you since you expressed your disapproval of Maria." He shook his head as he took her face between his hands. "Don't make that same mistake again. Do what you've always down with him, Cath. Love him, understand him as well as you can, and support him. You may not always agree with what he does but he's well on his way to bein' a man and the time will come when your disapproval won't be met with resistance but with refusal to tolerate it."

"Your father's said that Nacedo is dangerous."

"Michael's always been receptive to what his grandfather's had to say about Nacedo and the danger he represents. He knows this other alien is a threat and he hasn't rushed out to face that threat head-on. He's showing considerable restraint where the others are concerned and I think we need to remember that he came to us with this."

Her hands came up to wrap around his wrists and she nodded. "I don't think anything could've prepared me for what he had to tell us tonight."

"We raised him well, Catherine. He's grown into a fine young man and we've got to trust him to make the right decisions." He leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead. "He came to us with this… that's the most important thing."

"Maybe we should call your father. It wouldn't hurt for him to tell all of us what he knows about Nacedo again."

"We will. But for now we'll focus on Michael and what he's learned. We can call my father tomorrow. I think it's more important for us to make sure Michael knows he has our support right now."

"Alright," she agreed. "But we'll call your father tomorrow."

"Tomorrow. C'mon, let me help you finish dinner and get it on the table while the kids are talkin'. I'll go get them in a little while so we can eat."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maggie threw herself down on Michael's bed, watching him as he paced around the room restlessly. "So, you really think she's your sister?" she asked.

He shrugged, the fingertips of his right hand brushing over the surface of his desk as he walked past it. "I don't know. It's possible though, right? The similarities are all there… we look alike, we have the same temperament – "

"But what about that whole destiny thing?"

He shook his head. "That's a bunch of bullshit, Maggie. No one's gonna tell me what I'm doin' with my life."

She snorted. "Except maybe Mom. Guess your alien creators didn't factor her into their plans," she teased. "Okay, getting serious again… did you say anything to Isabel about the whole sister thing?"

"No, Maria thought I should wait until after things start to settle down a little bit. There's kind of a lot goin' on right now." He paused to look at the sister he'd known his whole life and he thought about his girlfriend's advice. "Maggie, you're my little sister and nothing's ever gonna change that. Whether or not Isabel's my sister it doesn't change the relationship me an' you have."

Maggie chewed on her thumbnail and nodded. "She's like you," she said quietly. "That would create a bond between you."

"Yeah, but me an' you, we've got 12 years of history. Besides, if we were alike we'd have driven each other crazier than we did growin' up."

She laughed a little and nodded. "Yeah, that's probably true." She went back to gnawing on her thumbnail again. "So, how dangerous do you think they really are, Michael?"

"Very dangerous and very determined to make sure this destiny thing plays out. I've got a bad feelin' that they're not just a possible threat, that at some point they will have to be dealt with." He shrugged. "I just don't know what that's gonna mean exactly."

"Does that…" she paused. "Does that scare you?"

Michael dropped down into his desk chair and swiveled it to face her. "River Dog's told us that Nacedo's dangerous and Tess has been raised by him. She's had years to discover and learn to use abilities that we know nothin' about."

"Like that mind thing she did," Maggie mused.

He nodded. "As a group I think we're too much for her to control, but individually… I don't know what we're lookin' at there. I know from talkin' to the others that she's been able to get into their heads and afterwards they don't have any recollection of it. She tried to get into my head when we confronted her and it took an effort to break that hold." He shook his head. "I don't know what she could do to someone who isn't an alien."

"You're worried about Maria," she guessed accurately.

"She's alone and defenseless."

"You don't trust the others to keep an eye on her?"

"I don't know them that well and besides that there's history there that just makes the entire situation weird. It wouldn't take much for her to slip in and do somethin' to hurt Maria… or even one of the others."

They looked up when someone knocked on the door and their father leaned in the doorframe. "Why don't you two get ready for dinner?" he said.

"Mom okay?" Michael asked.

"Your mom's fine. It's a lot to digest and she has understandable concerns, but she's fine." He rapped his knuckles on the frame and straightened up. "Alright, dinnertime, let's go. We'll talk more once we've settled down to eat."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria pushed herself on the swing as she inhaled the cool early evening air. She let her feet drag through the sand beneath the swings and her hands slid up over the chain, feeling the cold links pressing into her palm. Her mind was sorting through everything they had learned that day and she wondered how Michael's family was taking the news.

She couldn't deny that the thought of Tess and her ability to get into people's heads made her nervous. She shivered slightly when the wind picked up, blowing leaves across the playground to rasp against the chain-link fence. She wrapped her arms around the chains and pulled her jacket tighter around her until the wind settled down once more.

"Hey, Maria."

She looked up at the sound of Liz' voice and she wasn't sure what exactly she felt at the other girl's presence. "No date with Max tonight?" she asked.

"It's Sunday evening; he and Isabel are having dinner with their parents," Liz answered as she sat in the swing on Maria's right side. "Maria, can we talk?"

"Isn't that what we're doing?"

"You know what I mean."

Maria shrugged and gave herself another push. "What'd you wanna talk about? Max? Tess?"

Liz winced and started to mimic Maria's movements on the swing. "I'm sorry, Maria."

Her feet dug into the sand as she stopped herself and turned to face her, not hearing the protest the creaking chains made at the sudden motion. "You did what you felt you had to do, Liz," she said. "I can't say it didn't hurt… that it doesn't still hurt, but I also can't say what I would've done if our positions had been reversed."

"We went about it all wrong," Liz said regretfully.

Maria shrugged. "Yeah, you did."

"I wanted to tell you, Maria. Alex and I both wanted to, but…" She shook her head. It didn't matter why they hadn't told her. The only thing that mattered was that they hadn't. They had turned their backs on her and walked away like she wasn't worth a second thought. "We should've just explained that something was going on that we couldn't talk about yet."

"That would've been nice. It doesn't matter now though, does it?" She pushed her swing again. "Look, I know it was a difficult position to be in and," she smiled slightly, "considering that I'm dating an alien I can understand the need for the secrecy. Just not the need to shut me out of your lives the way you did."

"I'm sorry, Maria. I wish I could go back and change the decision but I can't and I don't know what to do to fix things between us."

"One step at a time, Liz." She sighed. "I don't know what else to tell you."

"Somehow I thought I might find the two of you here."

They looked up to see Alex walking towards them. He took the swing on Maria's other side and pushed back. "We handled things badly, Maria. Yeah, there were a few circumstances that affected our decisions but that's not an acceptable explanation."

Maria jumped up out of the swing and took several steps before she whirled around to face them. "What do you want me to do? I can't just say that it's okay to make you feel better."

"And we're not asking you to do that," Liz assured her. "We just want to know what we can do to… I don't know… try to make amends."

"I don't have an answer for you."

Alex motioned for her to stay where she was when she took a couple of steps back, intending to leave. "Maria, we both know it's gonna take time and that we may never get back to the way things were between us before this, but we'd like to try."

"We've got some common ground to work from now so… we'll see what happens. For now, I'm going home. It's been a long day and I'm tired."

"We'll walk you home," Alex said as he and Liz stood up. "We don't have to talk about anything serious right now but we agreed that we wouldn't go out alone unnecessarily and I think it's best if we stick to that."

Maria nodded and once they had joined her the three started walking out to the sidewalk. "Nothing like having a couple of human-hating aliens in town to make you more cautious."

"Try a couple of human-hating aliens who have every intention of taking our aliens away and disposing of us if necessary," Liz muttered.

"Not gonna happen," Alex insisted as he squeezed in between the two girls and draped his long arms over their shoulders. "They're not interested in that whole destiny thing and I can't say I blame them. The challenge here is getting Tess and that Nacedo guy to accept it."

"I've got a bad feeling they're not gonna be easily persuaded," Maria said, smiling at the moment of familiarity between the three of them.

"Maybe not but there're six of us and we did pretty well today."

Maria nodded. "Yeah, we did." She couldn't say that it felt nice or normal to be with them because too much had happened for things to fall back into place so easily. But with the threat that Tess and Nacedo presented it was a small comfort to have them at her side. It wasn't the way things used to be, but maybe it was another step to bridging the chasm that had opened up between them.

6


	112. Chapter 111

**Author's Note:** _The Lost Child_ will be going on hiatus for just a few weeks while we post our Christmas fic: a follow-up to _Michael, Maria, Carradine and Christmas,_ which will begin posting on December 6th. Our other fic will return once posting of the Christmas fic is complete.

**Part 111**

Maria glanced around at the other students filing through the double doors into the high school and she felt herself relax slightly. There was safety in numbers and what could be safer than being surrounded by the student body of West Roswell High? It would be next to impossible to be alone and any chance that Tess had to single her out would be limited.

"Hey, Maria!"

She turned when someone called her and she smiled at Liz and Alex as they hurried over to join her.

"Hey, we tried to call you this mornin'," Alex said as they fell into step beside her. "We wanted to know if you wanted a ride to school."

"Oh, the battery died last night so it was on the charger until I ran out the door." She rolled her eyes. "My mom gave me a ride this morning, so it was okay."

Liz reached out to touch Maria's arm. "Your first class is with Tess. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Maria admitted.

"Isabel won't let anything happen to you, Maria," Alex assured her. "But if you'd do me a favor and stay close to her…" he shrugged with a sheepish smile. "I know how she comes across but you can trust her."

Maria nodded as they blended in with the other students, breaking off from the crowd to go to their lockers. _Trust,_ she thought with a shake of her head as she twisted the dial to the correct combination on the padlock.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nacedo stared at the screen of the laptop, his gaze unblinking as his eyes scanned the lines of text before him. He had hacked into a database that provided a list of social services and other government agencies at the local and state level, searching for more information on the second in command. He had spent decades learning how to elude law enforcement and the military, adapting to new technology as fast as it was introduced. He had become quite adept at conducting searches and unearthing information that others wanted kept secret. Time and experience had taught him how to cover his tracks during his searches and now he was capable of discovering information without ever leaving a trace.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he moved to the next page, further narrowing down his search. It was a logical conclusion that Michael had been found in the desert but based on the information he already had about Max and Isabel he knew he hadn't been found in the same location. He considered who the second in command had been in his previous lifetime and he switched his search further west. He would have instinctively moved away from civilization out of self preservation even though he wouldn't have understood the need to remain hidden.

He switched screens, moving back to a map of the state. He located the area where the king and his sister had been found and he studied the map to the west. His finger followed the lines that specified rivers and roads and he tapped the screen thoughtfully. He returned to the previous screen and brought up a new page, running his search in a new region.

It took another hour before something of interest finally popped up on the screen and he leaned forward to scan the information. A Native American couple had adopted a six-year-old boy found in the desert 12 years before. He searched the records for the area where the boy had been found and then switched to the map again. He shook his head at the distance between where he had been found and where Max and Isabel had been found.

_Humans were so unbelievably stupid,_ he thought, shaking his head. _It defied belief. How could they believe that a human child could survive in the desert under those conditions?_ He resumed his perusal of the social services reports, reading through background checks and references on the family requesting custody of the boy.

He froze when he reached the name of the grandfather. River Dog. A name he hadn't heard in years and not likely one that was common enough for this to be coincidence. It was part of his past and a name he had never expected to hear it again…. a face he had never thought to encounter again.

The Mesaliko Reservation had been a place where he had been welcomed, accepted, and he had befriended the boy who had followed him around curiously. Over time he had begun to trust the boy, the only other human he had ever trusted besides Atherton. His expression slipped into a mask of hatred at the thought of the human that had betrayed him and nearly exposed his existence.

His hand curled into a fist as he stared into the distant past, remembering the man he had foolishly called friend. Atherton's need to uncover truths about his kind had created a problem when the man had discovered the truth about Nacedo's purpose on Earth. The man had been irrational and threatened to expose him in order to protect the Royal Four, mistakenly believing that their destiny could be altered simply because he didn't agree with it.

Atherton had been unable to grasp the concept of the Royal Four's destiny and Nacedo had felt that it was none of his concern. His discovery of plans set in motion for the hybrid children had gone against the humans' simplistic beliefs. Atherton, a veteran himself had refused to accept that the children would have no say in their destiny and would be forced to live the lives of their past selves. He had insisted that their traditions, customs and beliefs were archaic and that they had no right to impose them on children who should be allowed to make their own choices.

His insistence that the past would only repeat itself had enraged Nacedo. He had tried to sway the alien to see things from his point of view, tried to explain that they were essentially recreating the past and making the same mistakes that had led them into a war that they had lost… a war that had resulted in their deaths. He had made a mockery of everything that Nacedo had ever known and believed in and they had fought.

They had gone out into the desert one night, a safe distance from the heart of the reservation and he had attempted to make Atherton see reason, but the man had been relentless in his belief that his mission to ensure the Royal Four fulfilled their destiny should not be carried out. Something primal inside of him had turned on in that moment and he had been unable to stop himself from killing to protect himself as well as the Royal Four.

He had still been leaning over Atherton's lifeless body when his young friend, River Dog, had come upon them. The boy had approached them soundlessly and he had barely controlled the instinct to kill the young boy. It was only the unassuming expression on River Dog's face that had kept his baser instincts from taking over. He had known he was going to have to leave, that he was going to spend the rest of his time on Earth hiding and running from those who would destroy him.

He had known he had to vacate the area before the body was found and he had spoken briefly with River Dog, explaining that he had to leave because he was being hunted and he feared for his life. He had taken the body and dumped it well away from the reservation, feeling somehow certain that the boy would never speak of the incident he had happened upon.

How had River Dog, who had witnessed Atherton's murder, been able to accept another stranger? He had to know the boy was different. Even as a child River Dog had been intuitive, he had known that Nacedo wasn't like others and he had accepted that, accepted him. But to have welcomed another stranger, even a child, into his family, to allow his son and daughter-in-law to raise him as their own? It defied logic.

Looking back now he cursed his weakness where the human was concerned. He should have dealt with the situation back then. As the years had passed he had become a proficient killer and an expert at hiding his victims. He no longer saw humans as anything less than an enemy to be extinguished and he was impatient to be rid of them permanently.

Michael was going to be the most difficult to convince, he was certain of it. Being raised on the reservation in a family that had accepted him, who knew he was different, would have made a difference. It would give him an advantage over the king and his sister. His powers would be more controlled, his mind would be more difficult to manipulate, and he would be their biggest challenge.

The second in command had always been stubborn and difficult to manage, refusing to bend to anyone's will, and he knew that as with anything else, what made him strongest would also be his biggest weakness. His family, his girlfriend, anyone he cared about would likely have to be removed from the equation in order to break his human side and unleash his dormant alien side. He drew in a deep breath and rested his palms on his knees as a brief twinge of regret washed over him at the thought of eliminating the boy who had been nothing but a friend to him. But it had to be done. It needed to be done. A deal had been made and he wanted to go home. _Too long,_ he thought. He had been on this planet too long and he would do whatever was necessary to return home.

He glanced at the clock at the bottom of the screen and knew Tess would be putting the next step in their plan into motion at any moment.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria stepped out of her last class of the day, breathing a little easier when she saw Alex waiting for her several classes down. She walked towards him, hefting her backpack higher on her right shoulder as she rubbed at the headache that had been threatening all day. The stress of worrying about running into Tess was making her crazy and she wished that it could somehow be over and done with. But how?

"Hey, how was class?"

"I don't remember much of it. Too worried about things," she said with a shrug. "Let's just get to our lockers and get outta here."

"I'm with you. We'll meet the others over at the Crashdown. Liz caught a ride with Max and Isabel since she's workin' the afternoon shift. I told them I'd walk over with you." He grinned. "Safety in numbers, ya know?"

"Right. Let's just get outta here."

They hurried to leave the school and Maria breathed in deeply when they stepped outside into the fresh air. It was cool out and she shivered slightly when the wind blew. "Hey, Alex, why…" She blinked when everything around her suddenly seemed to shift and she found herself standing in the middle of her science classroom facing Tess. "What's going on?"

"Humans," Tess muttered derisively. "You're so ridiculously easy to manipulate. You don't even make it challenging at all."

Maria swallowed her fear and stood up straighter, glancing at her shoulder when she realized she didn't have her backpack. Damn, that had felt so real. She had been so certain Alex was walking beside her and they had been carrying on a conversation. "What do you want?"

Tess smiled slowly. "I want to meet with the second in command. I want a meeting with Michael."

"You're demented. This whole destiny thing is – "

"You have no possibility of understanding such a concept and I won't stand here and attempt to explain it in terms that might make sense to you. I haven't the time or the patience for it."

"I'm leaving now," Maria said and started for the door. She turned the knob and frowned when the door didn't budge.

"You leave when I say you can leave." Tess narrowed her eyes when Maria didn't show any fear. "I will have that meeting with Michael and he and the others will see reason."

"Michael will never go along with this… this… insanity!"

Tess made a tsking sound as she approached Maria, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction when she saw the other girl swallow hard. "You honestly believe the second in command, a man who led our armies into battle, and the king's own right hand, would ever choose a simple human being over the life he's destined to lead?" She snorted and let her gaze rake over the other girl. "He is destined to marry Isabel, how could someone like you ever hope to compete with her?"

Maria lifted her chin and she met Tess' cold gaze head on. She was secure in her relationship with Michael and she knew how he felt about this destiny business. "You won't change his mind."

"I will change his mind. And if you weren't worried about it you wouldn't be refusing to call him and set up a meeting."

"Michael knows his own mind and if he wants to meet with you that's completely his decision." She left out the part where she would do her best to talk him out of it and barring that, insist on being there with him.

"We'll see, won't we?" Tess's smirk was superior as she moved past Maria and opened the door. "I'll expect that meeting soon."

Maria leaned back against the wall after Tess left, shaking and trying not to start hyperventilating. She glanced up at the clock on the wall, noting the time and realizing that Michael still wouldn't be home from school for at least another half an hour. She needed to find the others and make sure Tess hadn't gotten to any of them.

5


	113. Chapter 112

**Part 112**

Alex leaned back against the wall next to the entrance to the girl's restroom, his thumb tapping out a staccato rhythm against the textbook he held. He stared at the students milling around, wondering why it seemed to be taking so long for them to flee the halls of learning. He snorted at his internal ramblings and reached up to rub his forehead, closing his eyes for a moment as he wondered if he had any Tylenol in his locker.

"Alex, are you okay?"

He opened his eyes and looked up at the concern in Isabel's voice. He experienced the strangest feeling of vertigo as the hall around him seemed to pull in on itself before expanding out to its normal size.

Isabel frowned at him and reached out to frame his face in her hands as she scanned his features. "Alex, what're you doing over here?"

He blinked and glanced around as he tried to get his bearings. He was nowhere near the restrooms off the hallway where Maria's locker was located. "We need to find Maria. I think Tess must've gotten to me because up until a minute ago I was standing outside the girl's bathroom at the west end of the building waitin' for Maria."

"Damn it. Okay, let's go. Call Liz and tell her and Max what's going on. They can start looking for her from wherever they're at."

Alex nodded, already dialing Liz' number.

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"How could this happen?" Max bit out when they met up by Maria's locker a few minutes later.

"Maybe because we're being stalked by a mind-controlling alien with some fatal attraction issues," Liz muttered caustically.

He ignored her comment and looked at Alex. "You were supposed to meet her after class and – "

"Max, get off his back," Isabel warned.

"Look, as far as I knew I did meet her after class. We talked all the way back to the west end of school, she told me to wait for her while she ran to the bathroom and the next thing I knew Isabel showed up and I was nowhere close to where I thought I was." He rubbed his forehead again before dropping his hand to his side. "Okay, whatever she wants with Maria it's got to be about Michael. If this was about you," he glanced at Max, "she would've gone after Liz."

"We need to find her," Liz insisted.

"Yeah, we can – "

"Maria!" she shouted when she saw the other girl walking towards them, watching them warily.

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Maria hurried down the hall, controlling the urge to run because she didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to herself. She had only been with Tess for a matter of minutes but it had been long enough for the halls to thin out. The majority of the student body had already pushed through the double doors at the exits and most of the straggles were getting their things together for various after school activities. She rounded the corner, turning into the hall where her locker was located and she was relieved when she saw the others waiting there for her.

_What if they weren't really there?_ She felt lost, as if in a dream, unable to tell truth from fiction. She heard Liz call her name and then run to her to throw her arms around her and hug her tightly. _How could she know for certain that this was real?_ It had felt so real before but that had simply been a product of Tess' manipulation.

"Maria, I am so sorry."

She looked up when she heard Alex apologize and she reached out to touch his arm. _He felt real._ "It's not your fault," she said quietly. "I went with her because I thought I was with you."

"I wanna hear all about it but maybe no here. People are gonna start wondering what's wrong with us if we just stay here."

They waited while she grabbed whatever she needed from her locker and they turned as a group to walk out to the parking lot. They froze in place when they saw Tess smirking at them from the end of the hall. Isabel separated from them and started walking towards the other girl, shaking Max' hand off when he tried to stop her.

"Isabel, stop."

Alex rolled his eyes when her brother issued an order that did nothing to calm her temper or slow her down. He went after her and fell into step beside her. "It isn't safe to confront her like this. There aren't that many people around, but all it takes is one person seein' or hearin' the wrong thing."

"Exactly. There are still too many people for her to risk doing anything to me other than that control thing and you'll be close enough to step in if she starts that."

"Alright, but make it quick, Isabel."

She nodded when he fell back and as she approached Tess her eyes were blazing with anger. "Think what you want about our relationships with them. You have a right to your warped opinion but don't think we'll sit idly by while you manipulate them. Your rights don't extend that far."

"You really have formed an attachment to him," Tess mused, her incredulous tone tinged with disgust.

"Any attachments I've formed to anyone here is none of your business. You crossed the line and if you mess with him – with any of them – one more time we'll settle this between us."

"Your powers were no match for mine before." She raised her chin slightly and she smiled at the barely controlled anger simmering in the taller girl. "Years of living among them and being immersed in their culture has made you weak. There was a time when you would've stepped on such insignificant – "

"I don't remember anything from this other life you say we led," Isabel interrupted. "Whether this story you've concocted is true or not we're not those people and we don't intend to become them. Stay away from them. I won't warn you again." She turned and walked away without another word.

They walked past her a minute later, the humans flanked by their alien protectors. She stared at Maria until the girl met her gaze, her green eyes flashing defiantly.

"Don't forget what we talked about, Maria."

"Go to hell," Maria snapped.

Tess just laughed and watched them as they made their way to the nearest exit.

"What'd she mean by that?" Liz asked as they all piled into the jeep.

"She wants to meet with Michael. I'll have to call him later. He won't be home from school yet."

Max glanced at her over his shoulder. "Do you wanna drive out there?"

"No!" She shook her head. "She could follow us and right now she doesn't know enough about him to know where he lives. His family's safe as long as she doesn't know how to get to him."

"Good point. Maybe we should go hang out at the Crashdown," he suggested. "It'll be fairly busy this time of day. Once you reach Michael we can figure out when he'll be able to get here for a meeting."

Maria smirked. "You can expect to see him about an hour after I talk to him. The Crashdown's fine for now but I'd suggest we go over to Alex's garage to meet him." Michael wasn't going to be happy when he found out about Tess.

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Michael kept both hands locked on the steering wheel to control the truck as he pushed the needle on the speedometer past 80. The tires ate up the distance to Roswell and his mind was moving even faster as he went over the few details Maria had given him over the phone. She hadn't said anything to give it away, but the meeting with Tess had shaken her up. He had been concerned about leaving her in the hands of others because he didn't know them well enough to trust them with her safety but he hadn't had any other choice.

Rationally he knew they weren't at fault anymore than it was Maria's fault that Tess had gotten to her. But rationality had been thrown out the window the moment she had told him that Tess had cornered her and in its place was a fear he'd never known. Fear that something could happen to the girl he loved and he wouldn't be there to prevent it. He'd been worried about her being in such close proximity to Tess but now the alien girl had taken things to the next level. _If she wanted a meeting she was gonna get one, but it'd be on his terms._

He slowed down as he got off of the highway and turned onto the main street that ran through the center of town. Just a few minutes later he was pulling up behind the jeep and his heart finally started to settle down when she appeared in the opening, smiling as she ran down the driveway. He shoved the keys in his pocket as he got out, pushing the door shut and catching her in his arms. He ignored the others gathering in the open garage doorway, focusing all of his attention on Maria.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice gruff.

Maria nodded, relaxing for the first time since her run-in with Tess. She inhaled deeply, drawing his familiar scent in and finally feeling safe.

"Last class of the day," he muttered as his gaze lifted to scan over the others. He mentally ran over the schedule they had discussed at their last meeting and his eyes singled Alex out.

"No, Michael, listen to me," Maria insisted when she felt him tense up. "She's the only one to blame here. I thought I was with Alex, walking through the school and talking to him." She shook her head. "Everything about it felt real. Until she revealed herself I had no idea that anything was wrong. She did the same thing to him only it was Isabel that brought him out of it."

"You're sure she didn't hurt you?"

She shook her head. "Killer headache, but it finally went away."

"Okay." His eyes traced over her features as he nodded. "And all she said she wanted was a meeting with me?"

"Yeah, but we don't have to give her what she wants."

He smirked and pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning her and giving her a nudge. "We're not givin' her anything but I'm gonna meet with her."

"_We_ will meet with her," she insisted stubbornly, staring him down until he nodded.

Michael jumped right in as soon as they reached the other two couples, not bothering with pleasantries. "We need a plan."

"You want to meet with her?" Isabel asked.

"We have to. This time it's just makin' 'em see things that aren't there. I think if we put her off we increase the risk of her doin' somethin' worse. But if she wants a meetin' we keep it on our terms."

"She only wants to talk to you," Maria said.

"And as far as she knows I'll be agreein' to that."

"Are you thinkin' something like what we did out at the quarry?" Max asked.

"Not exactly, no. She'll be expectin' that. She needs to think I'm the only one there. Matter of fact I think it's better if she thinks we're divided over this."

Alex nodded. "If she thinks we're divided she'll never expect all of us to be there when you meet."

"To make her believe that we're against this we'll have to orchestrate a way for her to overhear us discussing this disagreement. She'd never buy it if we just walk up to her and tell her you're not meeting with her," Max mused.

"She will if I'm the one who tells her," Maria spoke up. "It'll thrill her to think she's created a rift between us. It's all about aliens being superior to humans, so for her to learn that we decided as a group that there would be no meeting and then Michael calling her… it'll feed her ego. We can drag it out for a couple of days and then we'll approach her, put it out there that we make our decisions as a group and even though we didn't all agree, majority ruled and Michael's not meeting with her. Then we give it another day and," she glanced at her boyfriend, "you call her, tell her you wanna meet, maybe one day this weekend. She'll look at us and feel as if she knows something we don't know. It'll be a secret that the two of you share that the human is unaware of."

"I don't know, Maria," he hedged. "It's a good plan, but that puts you right back in contact with her."

"No matter what she's a threat that we're gonna have to deal with." She reached out to touch his arm as she faced him. "Michael, if she thinks we're battling this out within our group chances are good that she won't mess with any of us."

"She could be right," Alex thought aloud. "Tess would be thrilled to think that she's responsible for causing problems in our group. If she thinks we're divided over this, in her mind it'll mean it's just a matter of time before the three of you begin to see things from her point of view and fall in line with the whole destiny thing."

"Hypothetically, if we were to follow this plan, where would the meeting take place?" Max asked.

"It would have to be someplace she has no familiarity with," Liz said. "We would need to have the upper hand in every possible way."

"She'd expect someplace like the quarry," Isabel mused.

"The desert," Michael spoke up. "I know the desert like the back of my hand."

"But Michael, it's too close to your family," Maria insisted.

He shook his head. "There're areas of the Rez that are virtually untouched… there's a place probably about 20 miles from my house that'd be perfect. It's secluded and we wouldn't have to worry about anyone finding us. You can get to it without comin' onto the Rez through the normal entrance. She wouldn't need to know it's Reservation land."

Max glanced at the others and nodded. "I think that sounds like a solid plan."

"You still need to avoid any one-on-one contact with her," Michael said.

Maria nodded in agreement. "Until I tell her that you're not meeting with her."

"No, not even then." He pointed at the others. "You stay with one of them even for that. She's gonna know we've talked about this so she won't be suspicious… she'll see it as a weakness so that actually plays to our advantage."

"So we play this out until maybe Thursday?" Alex asked. "You call her on Friday and set up the meeting for Saturday?"

"You're all available on Saturday?"

"I can be there." Max looked at his sister. "Don't you have that dog thing this weekend?"

Alex turned to Isabel. "Dog thing?"

"The Christmas dog show," she answered. "It's on Sunday afternoon though so I'm free on Saturday. I'll just have to do all the last minute preparations Sunday morning since Max backed out."

"I can give you a hand with that if you want," Alex offered.

"Okay."

Liz glanced at Max. "I work the morning shift at the Crashdown on Saturday but I'm free in the afternoon."

Michael looked at Maria and when she nodded he addressed the group once more. "I'll contact her on Friday after school then… tell her I wanna meet with her on Saturday afternoon. Is two good for you guys?" He continued when they all nodded their ascent. "I'll tell her three to give you time to get out there and I'll tell her I'll call her back on Saturday mornin' to give her directions."

Maria listened to him as he laid out the plan for their meeting, explaining that to be safe he would wait to give her the directions at the last possible minute too. Even though she wanted to get this meeting done and over with she couldn't help the fear she felt at the thought of what could happen at this meeting. She knew what Tess had said, but she was certain there was more to it. Why him? She could understand her wanting to meet with Max, but why Michael? Up until this afternoon she had showed no interest in him, so why now? What had changed?

7


	114. Chapter 113

**Part 113**

Tess waited until Wednesday before she approached Maria again. She had watched them for the last couple of days, observing their routines and letting them think she had backed off. Since they had determined that she was a threat to their pathetic little lives they had become quite predictable. After school they gathered at the Crashdown while Liz, Maria, or both of them worked their shifts and afterwards they would make sure the humans were escorted home before Max and Isabel returned to their home together. She smiled at their stupidity. _Did they really think their pathetic little defiance would somehow make the truth invalid?_ She shook her head and tossed her hair back over her shoulder as she crossed the street and walked into the café.

Amusement colored her blue eyes when the five of them zeroed in on her, seeing their identical expressions of disbelief at her audacity. They hadn't expected her to step foot in the café because it was their turf. It was apparent they felt a sense of safety when operating as a unit and that almost made her laugh out loud. _It was absurd,_ she thought. They had no idea what they were up against.

She knew Maria wasn't working since the girl was sitting in the booth next to Alex and still wearing the clothes she had worn at school that day. Her gaze slid over Liz with a dismissive shake of her head as she crossed to the booth the other four occupied at the back of the dining room. She grabbed a chair from a nearby table and placed it at the end of their table, taking a seat and glancing around at each of them before locking gazes with Maria.

"When can I expect to meet with Michael?"

"He's not meeting with you," Maria stated with conviction.

Tess leaned back, maintaining an outwardly unaffected appearance. "You haven't spoken with him yet," she guessed.

"I passed your message along and we decided he isn't gonna meet with you." She shook her head. "He has nothing to say to you that hasn't already been said."

"_We_ decided." A knowing smile ghosted over her face but it was neither friendly nor pleasant. "He was always headstrong and did what he wanted. He was never much of a team player."

"None of us are interested in anything you have to offer," Max said when she started to stare intently at Maria. He didn't like the way Tess was watching her, concerned that she might be up to her usual tricks. "Like she said, we discussed it and came to a decision as a group. Whether or not everyone agreed is irrelevant because in the end all that matters is that he's not meeting with you."

Tess turned her head to look at him, eyes narrowing. "Growing up here has made you weak. You weren't this spineless on our planet. If you remembered anything you'd know he was never easy to control."

"He's not meeting with you," Maria repeated.

"You really believe you have that much influence over him," Tess said, her tone derisive. "We'll see how long that little fantasy works for you." She pushed away from the table, satisfied that the second in command wanted to meet with her and would find a way to do so. Once she got him alone she could convince him of what needed to be done and the others would eventually fall in line. It was obvious that they wanted her to think the decision was final and they had done their best to make it sound that way, but she knew better."

Alex exhaled loudly when the door swung closed behind Tess, relieved to have that over with. "I'd say the plan's workin' so far."

"Yeah, well, her psychosis is obviously alive and well," Maria muttered.

"I'll be glad when this meeting is behind us." Isabel shook her head as she twisted the napkin in her hands. "I don't really understand the point of having the meeting in the first place. We're just feeding her delusion by going along with it."

To a certain degree Maria agreed with her but she kept that thought to herself. "Michael wants to know what she wants with him, why she's singled him out."

Alex smiled and shook his head. "That might be part of it, but I think the biggest thing is that she's threatened you… the guy really didn't like that." He nodded and nudged her with his elbow when she smiled slightly.

"We've already made it clear that we don't want any part of what she's offering," Max said. "She thinks out of all of us he's the one she can convince. I don't know, maybe she thinks his memories of that life are stronger or more accessible or something. We'll know more on Saturday." He glanced at Liz and silently echoed his sister's words. He'd feel better once the meeting was behind them too. He had a feeling that was true for all of them though.

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Michael paced around his room restlessly, his mind going over the upcoming meeting and picking apart the plan they had come up with. The place he had picked out for the meeting was isolated, it was well away from the populated areas of the Rez, and most importantly it was miles and miles away from his family's home. They still didn't know the extent of her powers though and part of him was tempted to have the meeting without the other present because he didn't know what to expect from her.

_Maria would just have a fit over that._ He could deal with her temper, but he had agreed to her being there and he was smart enough to know that facing off against Tess without the others there for backup was a bad idea. _Besides,_ he thought with a smirk, _his girlfriend was a fighter and she would never sit back and let him walk into a dangerous situation alone._ No, they were in this thing together.

He wanted to tell his parents what they were planning but he couldn't risk them trying to talk him out of it. Or worse, insisting on going with him. He didn't want them anywhere near Tess. She had made her feelings about humans crystal clear and there was a coldness about her that told him she wouldn't experience a moment's hesitation if she decided to remove anyone who stood in her way.

He glanced at his alarm clock, taking the time into account and grabbing his keys off of his desk. He had told Maggie he'd pick her up after practice since Linda had been out sick. She wouldn't be ready for another 45 minutes but he wanted to stop at a payphone to call Tess when he got into Ruidoso. He could only assume that Nacedo was skilled in doing whatever was necessary to survive so he didn't want to let them know where he was calling from. He shrugged into his jacket as he walked outside and climbed into the truck, staring up at the darkening sky as he started the engine.

Half an hour later he pulled into a gas station on the outskirts of Ruidoso and parked next to the payphone under a flickering light. He pulled a handful of change out of his pocket and fed it into the machine before punching in the number on the piece of paper Isabel had given him. He rolled his eyes at the precise handwriting before he shoved it in his pocket and braced his right hand on the weather shield over the phone. He automatically tensed when he heard Tess answer from the other end.

"Harding residence."

"I heard you wanted to meet with me," he said, not bothering with pleasantries.

"Oh, you got my message," she said.

He could hear the smug tone in her voice. "I got your message loud an' clear," he bit out.

"From my understanding you're not interested in what I've got to say so…"

"I speak for myself."

Tess' lips curled up in a triumphant smile. "When can we meet?"

He was silent for a moment. "Saturday afternoon."

"I wanted a meeting between the two of us, not everyone."

"Like I said, Saturday afternoon. They won't be around."

She contemplated the truthfulness of his words. "Uh-huh, and you won't be with them?"

"I wouldn't be callin' you if I was gonna be with them," he snapped. "Take it or leave it, I could care less." He held his breath when silence fell over the line and he wondered for a moment if he had pushed too far.

"Where?"

"I'll call you back on Saturday, let you know when an' where. Clear your schedule, Harding, 'cause it'll take time for you to get to me. And bring your best game because I'm not easily convinced."

Her confidence spiked. "No problem." She made a face at the receiver in her hand when he hung up without another word. _Even cloned he had no manners,_ she thought.

"The meeting has been set?"

She turned when Nacedo came up behind her, his movements as soundless as always. "I'll meet with him on Saturday afternoon."

"Where?"

She shook her head. "You know how the second in command is. He's highly suspicious by nature. He'll call me on Saturday to let me know where the meeting will take place."

"Convincing him and bringing Rath to the surface is the only way you will gain the cooperation you need from the others. He has to be handled carefully. He was never easy to handle and his only predictable behavior is his willingness to fight to the bitter end for those who hold his loyalty."

"I can handle him," Tess insisted.

"Your over-confidence will be your downfall." He shook his head at her. "You shouldn't have let him lead the conversation. Allowing him to choose the location and set the time for the meeting is a mistake. You could be walking into a trap." He stared at her as he considered this new information. "You must get him to reveal the location for the meeting otherwise we'll be going in blindly."

"We?"

"You nearly blew it with the last meeting. If they get the upper hand – "

"They won't be there! I'm telling you he called me because the rest of them believe it's a mistake to meet with me again. He wants to do it and he's letting them think that he's going along with them."

Nacedo motioned to the phone she still held. "What number did he call from?"

She handed the phone over and he took it with him over to the dining room table, seating himself in front of his laptop. He ran the number and stared at the screen while he waited for the tracker to locate the address assigned to it. He then ran the address through the system and he shook his head when the name of a gas station in Ruidoso came up.

"He doesn't trust you. He's doing his best to make it difficult for us to locate him."

"So?" She didn't know what the problem was. "You've already located him."

"But he doesn't know that and he's trying to cover his tracks. I may have located him but the problem lies with his familiarity with the area. He's grown up on the reservation. He will know the most advantageous areas to use for the meeting. He will wait until the last possible minute to contact you and deliver the directions, leaving us little to no opportunity to ensure that you have backup." He sighed as he mentally ran over their options. "I'll just have to follow you and leave enough distance between us so that he doesn't see me come in behind you." He thought for a moment. "Tomorrow, you should see if you can find out where the rest of them will be on Saturday. If possible we need to ascertain their whereabouts, make sure that they won't be there to upset the plan."

Tess nodded. "I can get that information with no problem," she said as she left the room.

Nacedo stared at the laptop screen as he pulled up a map of the reservation. She was overly confident about a situation that they had no control over at the present time. Even after the last meeting that they had orchestrated she hadn't learned to be cautious. His concern extended to the others, not just Michael. They weren't aware of the full extent of their powers individually, but they had already discovered that combined, their powers were amplified. He worried about what could happen if they began working together in that capacity before the three of them had been persuaded to see things his way.

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Isabel pushed the front door closed behind her and sniffed the air, smiling when she recognized the scent of lemon cake. She glanced at Alex before calling out to let her mom know she was home.

"Oh, honey, I didn't hear you come in," Diane Evans said as she stepped out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel. She glanced at the young man with her daughter, immediately deciding that he must be Alex. Isabel was at ease around him, something she couldn't say she had ever seen before. He wasn't exactly the type of boy Isabel normally dated, but there was stability there and a sincere quality that she liked right off the bat.

"Mom, this's Alex," she introduced him. "Alex, my mom."

Alex smiled and shook the woman's hand. "Mrs. Evans," he greeted her politely.

"Isabel, you should've told me you were inviting company over after school today."

"What? No, Alex and I were just coming by so I could drop off my homework for this weekend and change. We're meeting Max, Liz and Maria at the Crashdown and then going to a movie later."

Diane's smile was confused as she nodded at the kitchen. "But what about your friend Tess?"

Isabel felt her heart leap into her throat. "My… what?" _Tess was here?_

"Well, she stopped by a little while ago. She was hoping you might be able to spend some time together this weekend but I told her you've already got a pretty full weekend with the Christmas projects you're involved in." Diane nodded and lowered her voice. "Honey, I feel really bad for her. She was hoping to spend time with someone this weekend and so far she says everyone she's tried has had plans."

_Tess was checking up on them, trying to see if there were any gaps in their story._ Alex cleared his throat as he touched Isabel's arm. "Why don't we invite her to go to the movie with us? We're headin' right back out anyway."

She stared at him for a moment before nodding. It was their best chance of getting her out of the house. "Mom, do you know where my red shirt is? You know, the deep red button-down?"

Diane thought for a moment. "I'm sure it's in your closet." She shook her head and waved one hand in the air. "Why don't you go make your plans and I'll run check on your shirt."

Isabel waited until her mother was safely out of earshot before she hurried into the kitchen, her gaze hard as she stared at the girl sitting at the breakfast table as if she had any right to be there. "What are you doing in my home?"

"Is that any way to treat a friend?" Tess asked with a fake smile.

_Remember the plan,_ she reminded herself. "Why are you here? You know none of us are gonna hang out with you."

Tess shrugged. "I thought it was worth a shot." She leveled her icy blue gaze on Alex. "But apparently you're all busy this weekend."

"That's right," she snapped. "We're all busy and our plans don't and won't include you. We're not gonna hang out with you and give you the opportunity to try and get in our heads again."

She just smiled slowly as she stood up and pushed her chair under the table. "That's a shame. I suppose I'll just have to find something else to occupy myself with."

Isabel narrowed her eyes. "What're you up to?" she asked, sliding a hint of suspicion into her voice.

"I guess we'll see, won't we?" She walked to the door and stepped outside, pulling it closed behind her.

Alex shook his head. "It's a good thing we've been buildin' our cover stories all week long."

"She came to my house, Alex! This isn't just about her checking our stories… she wants me to know that she can get to my parents if she wants to!" Her eyes widened. "My mom said Tess had checked with everyone… that means she could have contacted your parents, Maria's mom, and Liz's parents too. We need to call them and have them check on their parents. We need to go by and check on yours too."

He nodded and rubbed her arm. "Go get ready and as soon as we can get away we'll call them… on our way to my house." He shook his head. "Actually, while I'm waitin' for you I'm gonna call my mom and make sure she's okay. My dad's at work so… no, I'll call him too."

"I'm sorry, Alex."

"Why? It's not your fault that Tess is a psycho alien stalker." He waved her out of the room. "Go on, the sooner you get ready the sooner we can go."

She gave him a quick hug and turned to run out of the room. She could call Max as soon as her mom left her alone to change. Liz and Maria were both with him so he could relay the message to have them check on things with their own parents. She didn't think any of them had been hurt in any way. Most likely Tess had just been digging for information, making sure they were all otherwise occupied and not in a position to stop her meeting with Michael the next day but it would be best to make sure.

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	115. Chapter 114

**Part 114**

On Saturday afternoon the sun was shining brightly in the crisp blue sky but the temperature had dropped to the low 50s and there was a light breeze that had made jackets a necessity. The tribal office had been designated as the meeting place for the six of them and Michael had arrived early, parking in front of the building to wait for them. He turned his wrist to glance at his watch, seeing that they still had about ten minutes before they were late. His thumb went back to tapping against the steering wheel as he stared out through the windshield.

He had gone over the location he had chosen for the meeting several times during the week, carefully studying it from every angle in an effort to make sure he was prepared for any eventuality. He turned his head when he caught a movement from the corner of his eye and he saw the jeep following another car. A moment later he recognized Maria hanging over the front seat between Alex and Isabel, pointing at the office. As they had discussed they stopped and waited while he backed up and Maria hurried to climb into the truck when he stopped. As soon as she was belted in he led the way back off of the Rez and out onto the old highway to head north.

"Where're we going?" Maria asked.

"Mustang Point."

"Can Santana's herd be seen from there?"

He shook his head and gave her a half-smile. It only made sense that her mind would make that connection. "Huh-uh, the herd doesn't run that far north. There's a rocky formation that resembles the head of a horse that sticks out on the side of the rock face below where we're gonna be."

"Have you already called Tess and given her instructions?"

"No, I'll do that when we reach the station where we're gonna leave their cars," he said with a slight nod at their caravan.

"Well, how're you gonna call Tess?"

"Pay phone. There's a gas station on the old highway about seven miles past the entrance we'll take to get to Mustang Point. We'll drop the cars there, I'll make the call and we'll backtrack. I'll get you guys stashed away and go back out to the highway to meet Tess and lead her to the meeting place."

"What if she pulls one of her mind tricks on you before you get back to the rest of us?" Maria asked worriedly.

He shook his head. "I won't give her the chance. I won't get outta the truck or even talk to her. All I'm gonna do is lead the way and let her follow in her own car."

At the gas station Michael went inside to talk to the owner, asking if they could leave two of the cars there while they went hiking. The man had agreed and told him where to park and when he walked back outside he pointed to the gravel lot on the side of the building and motioned for Alex and Max to pull over.

"Where's the meeting place?" Isabel asked as she stepped out of Alex' car.

Michael's eyes slid over the designer blue jeans and the crisp red shirt under the leather jacket and he shook his head. "About 12 miles from here. Seven miles back the way we just came and then five miles onto the Rez."

"12 miles?" Isabel glanced around with a frown. "Well, how're we getting there if we're leaving the cars here?"

"I think we're just leaving _our_ cars here, Isabel," Alex said, biting his lip as she looked around and he saw her connecting the dots.

"What, you mean…"

"That's right, princess," Michael muttered as he dropped the tailgate.

Max climbed up into the back of the truck and held a hand out to Liz, helping her up. He held his hands up when Isabel just gave him a look before he could make an offer. Maria glanced at Michael when he made a sound of impatience and turned away, digging in his pocket for change.

"C'mon, Iz," Alex said as he hopped up into the bed of the truck in one simple move. "Lemme give you a hand up."

Maria went with Michael when he shook his head and walked across the parking lot to the old payphone at the opposite end, feeding the change into it and punching in the number he had memorized. She listened to him as he gave Tess instructions and she could tell that the girl wasn't happy about what he was telling her.

"What?" Maria asked when he hung up, his hand curled tightly around the receiver as he stared at the highway.

He shook his head. "We should get goin'. I don't trust her."

"We should have about an hour and 10 minutes at least before she gets here."

"If she was at home," he said, his mind going over every sound he'd heard during the short conversation.

"Didn't you call her house?"

"I called her house but somethin' wasn't right about the background noise."

Maria's eyes widened. "What, you think she forwarded her home phone to her cell?"

"I think we should hurry up."

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The drive out to Mustang Point took another 20 minutes and Michael rushed them all out of the truck as soon as they arrived. He led the way up the short path that ran along the side of the bluff that was too narrow for a vehicle, keeping himself between them and the ledge when they reached the plateau.

He pointed to the line of boulders and brush surrounding them on two sides. "There's plenty of places to stay outta sight but stay on the west side… by the time she gets here the sun'll be behind your position… that'll allow you to see her but with the sun in her eyes she won't be able to see you."

Alex crossed the space between them to look down over the edge. "That's quite a drop," he muttered.

"Yeah, so stay back from the ledge." He spent the next few minutes going over their plan and then made sure they were all in place before he backed away and studied the scene, making sure they couldn't be seen from where he stood. Satisfied that they were well hidden he backed away, his hand outstretched to brush their footprints away so there was no evidence that anyone had been there.

He turned and hurried back down to the truck, climbing in behind the wheel and driving down to the place where the dirt road met the old highway. He turned around so that he was facing away from the paved road and he checked his watch when he saw a car slow down on his left side. "Yeah, you were already on your way out here," he muttered. As soon as she turned onto the dirt road he stuck his hand out the window and motioned for her to follow him.

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Tess parked behind the pickup truck and opened her door, her eyes locked on Michael when he carefully kept distance between them. He didn't say so much as a word as he started walking along a path and she turned in a circle as she followed him.

"What made you decide to meet with me?" she asked when they reached the top of the path and the ground leveled out.

"Sounded to me like maybe you had somethin' you wanted to say."

"Then why all the secrecy?"

"You saw what I've gotta put up with," he bit out. "Why bother goin' through all that hassle just so I can find out what you want?" He shrugged and turned to face her. "What do you want?"

Tess observed him as she moved around, studying her surroundings and wondering if Nacedo had arrived yet. "You seem to have the most interest in learning about where we're from and why we were sent to Earth."

"We've already covered that."

"Michael, you are the second in command. You have an obligation to Zan, to the throne and to our people."

"Who's Zan?" he asked.

"Max… that was his name on Antar."

"Antar would be our planet," he guessed. "The others aren't interested in this whole destiny thing. They're happy with their lives here."

"And you? You were a formidable warrior on Antar, Michael. You commanded armies and cut down our enemies… as Rath you were ruthless."

"Rath." _The name he'd chosen for his dog years ago._

Her eyes gleamed when he spoke, the name familiar on his tongue. "You remember," she said. "You can become the soldier you were destined to be, Rath. Once we convince the others that they must join our cause, accept their destiny, we can return to our planet and reclaim our lives."

"They won't be convinced easily."

"Then we have to convince them by whatever means are necessary." She shook her head as she moved around.

"Before you threatened to remove anything that stood in your way." He shrugged. "You suggested that Nacedo would kill anyone that he felt was a threat to carrying out this mission."

Her eyes narrowed as she turned to look at him. "The humans weaken you, they make you forget who and what you are. It is imperative to sever those," she sneered, "relationships in order to awaken your alien sides."

"What if they were to agree to accept their destiny? There would be no point in killing the humans." He studied her expressions and body language as she considered his words.

"The humans are of no consequence, Rath. If Nacedo deems them a threat it won't matter."

"And how does he determine who is and isn't a threat?" he asked carefully as fear began to build in his gut.

"It depends on how much he believes the humans know or even suspect about the three of you. It is likely that he will decide they must be destroyed." She turned to look at him and closed the distance between them, reaching out to touch his arm, feeling the tension there.

Rapid flashes of their plan hit her and her anger grew by proportions as she realized she had once again been played by them. Hiding around her, waiting for their moment… did they really believe they were any match for her? _Where was Nacedo? Why hadn't he arrived to squash the human insects and rid them of the barrier so obviously standing in their way? It was up to her to dispose of the humans since he hadn't taken care of it yet. _Her eyes widened and she jerked her hand back and glanced around, throwing her hand out and flinging a blast towards the others.

Bits of rock and dirt flew through the air as several of the boulders exploded at the same time and Michael's hand shot out, his own energy building as he spread his fingers wide and released it. Tess' body was thrown back and she landed near an outcropping of rocks. He spared a quick glance at her unmoving form before he ran to the area where Maria had been hiding.

She had been knocked back several feet but she was already scrambling up and rushing to her friends. Max and Liz and gotten out of the way and Isabel had been able to shield the worst of the blast from Alex but he had several cuts and scrapes on his arms. He caught Maria's hand, turning her toward him and checking her over to make sure she wasn't hurt.

"I'm fine," she assured him, reaching up to touch his face. "Are you okay?"

Her eyes widened and he turned before he could answer, following her terrified gaze to the girl advancing on them. He grabbed Maria's arm and pulled her behind him, vaguely aware of Max doing the same to Liz. Several feet away Isabel stood and positioned herself between Tess and Alex, her anger spiking when she saw the derisive glance the other girl sent in his direction.

"Weak," Tess repeated. "See how easily they bleed? Their bodies are so fragile, their minds easy to manipulate, and they are so incredibly weak!" she screamed. "Do you have any idea how easy it is to wipe them out? To simply erase their existence?" She raised her hand, her intention to strike Alex with a burst of power obvious, but before she could release it she was lifted up and thrown back again.

"Don't go near her," Michael ordered when Tess slowly got to her feet once more and Isabel took several steps in her direction.

"Nacedo will remove these humans one by one. Your families, your friends, they will all be wiped from existence. You've made it clear that your ties to them are too strong for you to follow your destiny." She leveled her icy gaze on Michael. "He will begin with you. Removing the human component will unleash Rath and it will allow you to become the fierce warrior you are destined to become."

"I won't let you or Nacedo hurt any of them. You come near Maria, my family or any of them," he motioned at the others, "and you'll never know what hit you," Michael growled.

Her lips lifted in a cold smirk. He was so close to acknowledging his alien side, she could feel it! "I could kill them without a second thought, you've already realized that. I would never even have to touch them to do it, Rath. I have the ability to tear them to shreds with my mind. The only question is… do I start with Maria or your family? The right level of manipulation will destroy them from the inside out, drive them insane and eventually they'll just drop dead." She could see the anger building in him, could almost feel the air around them crackling with it.

Michael was vibrating with anger, fighting to hold it in and feeling it edging closer to the surface with every word. He stared at her when her gaze became focused and he tried to figure out what she was doing. He jerked around when he heard Maria gasp in pain and his right hand unclenched as he flung it out in Tess' direction.

Tess cried out when the blast threw her towards the edge of the cliff and she grasped blindly in an effort to find something to stop her. Her hands latched onto impressions in the ground as she went over the edge and she sighed when her body didn't fall any further. She hung suspended for less than a heartbeat before her unstable grip broke loose and her body plunged to the ground below.

6


	116. Chapter 115

**Part 115**

He stared in disbelief as her scream echoed off of the cliff walls before slowly dissipating. The silence that surrounded him as the last echo bounced off of the walls was so quiet it was eerie. He hadn't expected the meeting to end in this manner. He had warned her that she couldn't predict the second in command's actions but she had insisted that she knew what she was doing.

He had expected a confrontation and had anticipated the presence of the others in spite of her assurance that they were otherwise occupied. What he hadn't expected was this outcome. It was too soon to push the second in command, to threaten the humans he had gotten close to. His reaction had been explosive and he had warned her that they didn't know enough yet to push him.

Rath had been impulsive at times but he hadn't been driven by human emotions the way this version of him was. It was something that made Michael even more unpredictable than his predecessor. As Rath, Nacedo knew what to expect of him, even at his more impulsive moments. But he was at a distinct disadvantage with Michael.

Without Tess his plans were invalid. She had been his way into the royal four dynamic and now that was ruined. He would need to leave Roswell. This incident would forge a bond between the hybrids and it was unlikely that they would listen to anything that he had to say. Michael had killed and if necessary he would do it again, but now he had the other hybrids behind him. There were also the humans to deal with now. Too many people were involved and killing all of them wasn't the answer; there was too much risk now.

No, his only choice now was to leave, to regroup and come up with a new plan. He knew how to start over, create a new life, and blend in with the insects he despised so badly. He had allowed himself to hope that by being accepted by the hybrids, by completing the royal four, he would soon find himself on his way home. But that was lost to him now. Tess was lost to him and with her any chance of succeeding with the other hybrids. He had to make plans and quickly. He backed away from his hiding place and made his way back down to his car.

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The group rushed to the edge of the cliff, peering over the side to look down at the body lying motionless on the ground. Michael moved away from the others, putting distance between them as he swallowed down the sick feeling that had settled over him the moment he had seen Tess go over the edge.

"Do you think she's…" Liz cleared her throat. "Should we go down there?"

"A fall like that, she has to be hurt," Maria said quietly, her gaze continuously shifting to Michael.

Max bit his lip as he stared at Tess' unmoving body and he rubbed his palms against his legs. They couldn't take her to the hospital if she was hurt, and after a fall like that there was no way she wasn't. He had the power to heal but healing her would leave them open to attack.

Isabel shook her head. "We can't risk that," she said, already knowing what her brother was thinking.

"That fall…" Michael shook his head. "It'd be a miracle if she survived that."

"You think she's dead?" Alex asked. He rubbed his right arm, wincing when his hand brushed over raw places where he had been hit by flying rocks. "If she is dead… what do we do with her body? We can't just leave it out here."

Maria glanced at her boyfriend once more before they all focused on the body below. "We're gonna have to…" She reached blindly for his arm when Tess' body suddenly seemed to collapse in on itself, turning into a pile of dust that was picked up on the wind and blown away. "What the…" She looked at the others. "Um, what just happened?"

"Ashes to ashes and dust to dust," Alex murmured.

Max felt a sense of relief when the body disintegrated before their very eyes. He turned his head to look at Michael, wondering what was going through his mind at that moment.

"We should go."

Maria looked at her boyfriend when he spoke suddenly. His body was taut and his voice filled with tension. "What about her car? We can't just leave it here. If they start looking for her and find her car out here… it's not right in your backyard, but it's close enough."

"It's out of sight for now. We'll figure it out later."

The fact that he wasn't focusing on the potential danger of Tess' car being found out in the desert was a red flag. He was withdrawing, pulling away from her and trying to distance himself from the situation. She wanted to talk to him, to reassure him that what had happened wasn't his fault but she knew he wouldn't appreciate that if it was just the two of them. With a group around them? It would be even less appreciated.

Max and Isabel exchanged a look.

"We might be able to do something about it," he offered. "Isabel can dissolve things… if I add my powers to hers we might be able to – "

"Whatever, just do it so we can go," Michael snapped. "We need to get outta here."

When they reached the car Max and Isabel started to discuss the best way to go about 'dissolving' the vehicle, which only seemed to aggravate Michael. He moved back out of the way when Maria reached out to him and he pointed at Alex and Liz.

"We need to get your vehicles while they're doin' that." He shook his head. "We don't have time to waste waitin' around."

"I don't know that separating is a good idea right now," Max said.

Alex glanced at Michael before he moved closer to Isabel and her brother. "I think we'd better do as he suggested. The guy's on edge… he just killed someone. Granted, it was an alien who was prepared to kill the humans in this group, but she's still dead. Look, it'll take half an hour tops for us to get the jeep and my car and get back here."

Max studied Michael for a solid minute, observing the way he stood apart from everyone including Maria. He bit his bottom lip and nodded. "I think maybe that's a good idea."

"Great, now that we've got your approval, let's get goin'." He climbed in behind the wheel and started the engine, ignoring Maria when she slid in beside him. He slapped his hand against the outside of the door impatiently when he realized that the others hadn't moved yet. As soon as they had scrambled into the bed of the truck and sat down he maneuvered the truck around and drove past Max and Isabel.

Maria watched him as the tires quickly ate up the distance to the gas station. "Michael, we should talk about what just happened."

"We're not talkin' about it," he said, his tone final. "It happened and it's over."

"I know you don't want to think about it right now – "

"I'm not gonna think about it at all," he snarled. "She was a threat and she's been dealt with!" His grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles turned white.

"It only happened because she – "

"What part of it's over did you not understand?"

Liz bit her lip as she listened to the muted voices screaming back and forth and she glanced at Alex. "That didn't go the way I had imagined it would," she said, her voice raised to carry over the wind whipping past the truck.

"No. I've got a feelin' Michael's not gonna stick around once he drops us off."

She thought about that for a few minutes before nodding. "You don't think he'll take Maria with him."

"The guy doesn't really seem like the let's-talk-things-out type to me." He hooked his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the couple arguing in the cab. "That right there sounds like she knows what he intends to do."

Maria stared at Michael when he pulled into the parking lot and put the brakes on behind the other two vehicles. "Get out," he growled. "I want you to stay with your friends… I need to get outta here."

"At least tell me where you're going, Michael."

He shook his head. "I don't know," he bit out.

She was silent for a moment, aware of her friends watching her from their position standing between the jeep and Alex's car. She reached out and rested her hand on his arm, feeling the tight muscles jerk at the contact. "You need to get this straight in your head and I can respect that. I don't like it, but I do respect it. Just promise me you won't do anything stupid or dangerous… and that you'll call me when you've found what you're looking for."

Michael stared straight ahead, the muscle in his tightly-clenched jaw ticking rapidly.

"I'm not getting out until you agree. It's hard enough knowing that you think you need to deal with this alone. Yes, it's a horrible thing to have to deal with and no matter what the reason you'll have to live with her death for the rest of your life, but you don't have to do it alone. I'm here… and I'm not the only one. They're gonna have to deal with it too! We were all there, Michael. We're all responsible to some degree for her death."

He shook his head and his voice sounded like broken glass when he spoke. "You're not the ones who killed her."

"You'll call me," she said insistently.

He nodded finally. "When I'm ready."

She wanted to lean over and kiss him but wasn't sure how he would react. She almost got out without doing it but after a moment she moved closer to him and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Michael."

His jaw clenched even tighter and he nodded mutely, still not looking at her as she opened the door and got out. As soon as she shut the door and backed away he pulled out of the parking lot, stomping on the gas pedal as soon as the tires found purchase on the blacktop.

"That didn't go too well," Alex said quietly.

"No," Maria agreed worriedly, her gaze following the cloud of dust kicking up behind the fast disappearing taillights.

"He didn't have any choice," Liz spoke up. "Tess was hurting you and she was threatening all of us."

"I know." Maria's tone was somber as she turned to look at her friends. "I know that, and somewhere deep down, he knows it too. But, no matter what the reason, he just killed someone."

Alex smiled and waved when the store owner stepped outside to check out the activity by the vehicles. "We should get goin' before we draw any more attention."

Nearly 20 minute later they arrived at the place where they had left Max and Isabel and they climbed out of the vehicles, taking in the exhausted aliens sitting on a large boulder. Tess' car was nowhere to be seen and Maria wondered how they had managed to make that happen.

"Where's Michael?" Isabel asked.

Maria shook her head, watching Liz and Alex as they joined their aliens and suddenly felt like a fifth wheel. "He took off after letting us out at the gas station."

Isabel studied her. "You're worried about him."

Max looked up at her, silently assessing her mood. "Isabel and I could go look for him," he offered.

"You won't find him, Max." She shook her head. "He knows the Reservation like the back of his hand and you've never even been there."

"We might not find him, but we can try."

Isabel nodded. "The three of you should probably go back to Roswell, make sure you're seen. Just in case anything comes up with Tess later you guys will have been seen hanging out. We'll call you if we find him and if not… we'll meet you back at Alex's house when we've exhausted our search."

Liz reached out to touch Maria's arm when she looked like she was going to protest. "No, Maria, what if you run into his family? Wouldn't they want to know where he is if he's not with you?"

"Good point," Alex agreed. "Besides, Isabel's right about us establishing an alibi." _Who would've ever thought their senior year they'd be planning the best way to create an alibi because they had killed an alien who had threatened to kill them? _

5


	117. Chapter 116

Part 116

Michael forced the last 45 minutes to the back of his mind as he pushed the limits of the engine, mindless of the needle beginning to dip low on the right. The fingers of his left hand picked at a loose thread on his jeans while the fingers of his right clenched tightly around the steering wheel, his grip so convulsive the imprint of the cover was being tattooed on his palm and fingers. His foot moved back off of the gas pedal when he saw the entrance to the Rez up ahead, braking and taking the turn faster than he should have.

He zigzagged along the smaller roads to get to his house, jerking into the driveway and slamming on the brakes. He barely registered the relief he felt at the realization that neither of his parents was home as he hurried inside. He couldn't think straight. His mind kept trying to go back to the meeting, to Tess going over the edge, to the reality that he was a murderer. He needed to get away. He needed to clear his head so he could figure out what to do next.

Maggie looked up from the television show she was watching when the front door slammed shut and a moment later her brother practically ran past the entry to the living room. "Hey, Mi – " She frowned when he didn't bother to say a single word to her and a moment later she heard him slamming things around in his room. She got up to follow him, pausing in his open doorway when she saw his agitated movements as he collected some things and threw them in his duffel bag.

"Has there been another sighting?"

"No," he bit out.

"Running away from home?" she joked.

"Get lost, Maggie."

She could hear the stress in his voice and she bit her lip as she considered how to continue. Maybe it was Maria. She had never known anything or anyone else to get to him the way the blonde did. "You and Maria have a fight?"

"No!"

She watched him as he grabbed a handful of clothes and shoved them into his bag before jerking the zipper closed. He pushed past her to get out of his room, rushing back along the hallway to the front door. She followed him, her worry increasing when he went straight out to the truck and threw his bag inside before sliding in behind it.

"Michael, what's going on?" she asked as she reached in through the open window and grabbed a handful of his shirt. "Hey, talk to me! Where're you going?" Something had to have happened for him to be acting like this, but he wasn't going to talk. She knew it as well as she knew her own name.

She stared at him when he pried her fingers off of his shirt, shaking his head at her as he backed out. He made sure he was clear of the driveway before he stomped on the gas and sped down the road, leaving nothing but a plume of dust and one very confused sister in his wake.

Unable to determine where he was going by the direction he had taken, Maggie ran back inside. What should she do? She had no way of going after him. _Should she call Mom and Dad? But what if it wasn't anything serious?_ No, scratch that, she knew it was serious. Maybe it really did have something to do with Maria. If that were the case then getting their parents upset and having them leave their jobs in the middle of their shifts would be a waste of time. No, there had to be a way to figure out what was going on with him without getting everyone in an uproar. Maria! Of course, she would know what was going on with him.

She went back down the hall to his room and stood in the doorway for a moment, biting her bottom lip as she looked around. Where would he keep Maria's phone number? They had stopped nosing around each other's rooms a couple of years ago after coming to an understanding about their privacy. Extreme circumstances called for extreme measures though, right? Something like that, she decided as she sat down at his desk and started to flip through some papers piled at the back corner. She was snooping for his own good. She was his sister and it was her job to worry about him. Besides, what would she tell their parents if they came home and Michael was still gone? She had to have something to tell them because she had a bad feeling he wasn't planning to be back home for dinner.

After a couple of minutes she replaced the papers and stood up to rifle through the books on the shelf. She came up empty-handed there too. She sighed as she looked around, spotting the trunk at the foot of his bed and nodding to herself. She leaned over to unlatch it, glancing at the photo albums he kept there. The things in the trunk were private; things that were close to his heart. She pulled the first album out and flipped through it, doing her best to not invade his privacy any more than necessary as she searched for the elusive phone number.

She lifted up the newest album and flipped through the pages, running her fingertips over a picture of Michael standing next to Santana and Mirage. Maria had to have taken it, she realized. No one else had ever gone out with him to watch the wild horses. She flipped past a few more pictures before she found what she was looking for as the piece of paper with two phone numbers and Maria's name scrawled above them fell out. She snatched it up and hurried to put everything back before running to the kitchen to grab the phone.

_Cell phone,_ she decided as she punched in the first number on the paper. She stared at the floor as she paced, praying Maria would answer the call. She sighed in relief when the call was answered a few moments later.

"Hello?"

"Maria, it's Maggie." She wasted no time getting to the point. "What's going on?"

Maria rubbed the bridge of her nose as she tried to figure out what she was going to say. "You've seen your brother?"

"Yeah, he was just here and now he's gone. What happened, Maria?"

"It's not really something I can talk about," she said, hoping Maggie would pick up on the cautious tone in her voice.

Maggie nodded to herself. "Was it bad?"

"Yeah, it was bad. It's not related in any way to your relationship with him or even mine with him. It has nothing to do with my friends or anything like that… it's just… I am worried about him, Maggie, and I think we need to look for him."

"Alright, I'll look here. I'm a lot more familiar with things than you are."

Maria understood what Maggie was saying and she took a calming breath before she spoke again. "When you find him…?"

"I'll call as soon as I know where he is." She had a feeling she knew exactly where he had gone.

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River Dog lifted his weathered face to the wind, closing his eyes and listening for several long minutes before he turned to stare at the road that led from his house out to the main road. He ignored the ringing telephone he could hear through the open front door as he waited for whatever was about to happen. He could feel it on the air; the feeling that something was about to happen, that something had changed to alter the balance.

Silence fell over his home once more and as he watched the horizon he saw a dust cloud begin to rise into the air. Just moments later he saw his son's pickup truck racing up the old dirt road and he knew something was wrong. He walked further out into the yard, his features remaining calm as his grandson braked to a skidding halt mere inches from him.

"What's wrong with you?" Michael yelled as he jumped out of the truck and rounded the hood to glare at the old man.

"The better question would be: What's wrong with you, Magnum?" River Dog asked, his tone placid. He could see the telltale signs that something wasn't right with the boy and he discounted it as one of Michael's moods. As he watched him pace agitatedly, opening his mouth and uttering incomplete sounds as though he were trying to speak but couldn't quite form the words. He knew better than to push before the boy was ready; it had never achieved any success. It was best to wait and let him open up when he reached a place where he could talk about whatever was bothering him. He wasn't prepared for the words when they finally came out.

"I killed someone," Michael spit out, the words raw and uncensored. "Someone like me." His eyes dropped to his hands as he held them out before him. "I killed a girl my age who was just like me." He finally raised his eyes to meet his grandfather's gaze, scared of what he would see there.

River Dog braced one hand on the hood of the truck, feeling the heat from the engine seeping into his palm. He met his grandson's gaze and held it in the silence that followed Michael's outburst. After a solid minute of direct eye contact the words seemed to sink in and he pushed away from the truck, walking over to the boy and reaching up to place his hands on his shoulders. "Tell me, boy."

Michael spit the story out, telling the old man everything he could think of and leaving nothing out. He knew River Dog would listen and tell him what he should do. The words spilled out of him; hot, angry, and hurt, they tumbled over each other in their rush to be free and when he had finished retelling the story he felt drained.

River Dog was silent for several minutes following his grandson's revelations and he motioned for him to follow him over to the front porch. They took a seat on the top step and he stared out into the distance as he weighed his words. "Things are not black and white, Magnum. Rarely in life is anything so easy when determining right and wrong." He paused a moment. "Yes, you killed her. Another living being. What would she have done to you had she lived? What would she have done to Maria? Your sister and parents? To anyone who crossed her path and did not meet with her expectations?"

Michael stared at his grandfather, soaking in his words.

"Everything happens for a reason. Was it a good thing? A bad thing? Or was it maybe something that was meant to happen?" He shook his head. "I don't know. What I do know is that you have to accept what you have done. And you also have to think about the ones you love and remember that it was their safety that was in your mind." He patted the boy's leg. "Living beings always protect the ones they love." He looked directly into Michael's troubled eyes. "At all cost."

Michael listened to what River Dog was saying, needing so badly to believe that this wasn't as simple as he was now a murderer.

"Was Tess a threat?" he asked after a moment.

There was no hesitation. "Yes."

"Then you will think on it – "

Michael shook his head. "I can't go home right now, River Dog."

The old man looked at the boy before nodding at the desert surrounding them. "You need to cleanse your spirit, Magnum."

He followed his grandfather's gaze. "A vision quest?"

"Let the spirits guide you, Michael. When you return in four days your spirit will be cleansed, you will be able to see this more clearly, and you will know what you should do."

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Maria disconnected from the call and looked at the others. They hadn't left the parking lot at the gas station yet because they hadn't been able to come up with a solid plan. Max and Isabel had offered to go and look for Michael, but they had no more of an idea where to look than she did. She was familiar with a few places on the Rez, but not enough to tell them where to look or even how to get to those places. They had never been on the Rez so they would be obvious if they started driving around aimlessly. None of them had any familiarity with the desert and Michael had been raised with knowledge of the desert. Liz had been the one to point out that they would be lost out there, not knowing where to look or what to do and even though they all wanted to help, they had to accept that it was true.

"We should go back to Roswell and wait," she said, hating to put even more distance between her and Michael. "Maggie will call as soon as she knows anything."

"Maybe we could wait with you," Liz offered quietly.

"Yeah," Isabel said with a slight smile. "Since we can't do much about looking for him we can at least keep you company while you're waiting for news."

Maria looked around at them when she heard the others making sounds of agreement. She nodded after a moment, seeing the sincerity in their expressions. They wanted to help find Michael but none of them knew what to do and right now Maggie was their best bet at finding him. "That'd be nice."

Max glanced at his girlfriend. "Would you guys like to ride together? Iz can ride with me if you want."

She looked at Maria and raised one eyebrow in silent question. Would Maria want that after the way things had been the past few months?

"I'd like that," Maria said after a moment. "If Isabel doesn't mind."

Isabel squeezed Alex' hand, not even questioning when their hands had become joined. She nodded in acquiescence and she and Max climbed into the jeep, waiting for Maria, Liz and Alex to pile into his car so they could follow them out of the parking lot.

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Maggie finally pulled up in front of her grandfather's house nearly an hour and a half after Michael had taken off. She'd had to wait for Linda to come over so she could borrow the jeep and then she'd had to drop Linda off at home before she could head out to her grandfather's house.

"Grandpa!" she shouted as she ran up to his front door.

River Dog stepped out of the shed at the back of his house and waved to Maggie to get her attention. He smiled when she ran over to him, knowing why she was there.

"Grandpa, where's Michael? Something happened but he won't talk about it. All I know is Maria said it was really bad…" she trailed off when she noticed Dad's truck parked next to the house.

"Are your parents at work?"

"Yeah, why? What's – "

"Your brother will be fine, Maggie. I want you to go home and wait for your parents and I'll come over when they get there. We'll discuss this as a family."

Maggie knew better than to argue with her grandfather. "You're sure Michael's okay? He didn't seem like he was okay when he came to the house and grabbed a bunch of his stuff like he was gonna take off."

"He'll be fine," he repeated patiently. "Now go home. I'll come by later this evening."

"But…"

"Go."

"What do I tell Maria? She's worried about him too."

"Tell her he'll be fine. Go now."

When she had gone he turned to look out into the desert, whispering a silent prayer for the spirits to watch over his grandson and to help him to find peace. He knew the spirits would guide him and they would show him what he needed to know to continue his journey. Growing up as he had along with his innate sense of survival, Michael knew how to co-exist with nature and wildlife in the desert.

Four days in the desert with nothing more than water, the clothes on his back, and only his conscience for company could drive a man insane, but Michael was strong in mind, body and spirit. If he had grown up differently he wouldn't have had an appreciation or understanding of the vision quest. He would return with a renewed sense of purpose and the fragile balance that determined his path would be restored.

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	118. Chapter 117

**Part 117**

Maria walked into the house, paying little attention to the curious looks Isabel was aiming at the interior decorating choices her mom had made. She left them in the living room and went to get drinks for everyone, pausing when she realized Liz had joined her and fallen into step with her.

"I thought I could give you a hand," the brunette offered with a quiet smile.

"Maria, I thought I heard you come in." Amy fell silent as she observed the girl standing with her daughter and she hid her surprise when she saw the others in the living room behind them. She saw the hesitant look on Alex's face when he raised his hand to wave at her. She didn't know the other two teenagers but she recognized them from seeing them around town. Maria had mentioned that Liz and Alex were seeing people and she assumed that's who the new faces were.

"We were just gonna hang out, Mom, maybe have something to eat."

Amy nodded, sensing that something had changed between them to make Maria comfortable enough to bring them home with her. Maybe they were going to be able to work things out between them.

"Were you on your way out?" Maria asked, noticing the way her mother was dressed.

"Gabriel and I have a date."

She smiled and nodded. "Have a good time, Mom."

Amy hugged her daughter and glanced at the other teenagers, feeling the difference. It was obvious that everything hadn't been settled, but it looked like they were finally finding some common ground to work from. "The fridge is stocked so you kids make yourselves at home and have a good time together. Maria, if you need anything, honey, call me. If you can't reach my cell phone for any reason, Gabriel's number is on the fridge."

The girls got drinks for everyone after Amy left and they settled down in the living room. After several minutes of silence, Alex finally spoke up.

"Maybe we should talk about what happened," he suggested.

Isabel glanced at him and then at the others before nodding. "I can't speak for everyone else, but I'm relieved she's gone." It was her fear of Tess that had pushed her to seek out Michael, hoping he could help them figure out a way to handle her. "She was another living being, but she was willing to kill anyone who got in her way and that included our families, so I don't feel bad that she's gone." She glanced at Maria and her tone softened. "My only regret is that Michael's having a difficult time right now. I can only imagine that what he's dealing with can't be easy and it can't be easy for you to have him push you away when he needs you most."

Max nodded his head in agreement. "I keep thinking I should be horrified that Michael killed her, but…" he shook his head. "She was one of us even though she'd been corrupted by Nacedo, but at the same time there's that little voice at the back of my mind that keeps reminding me her death was best for everyone concerned." He looked down when Liz threaded her fingers through his. "I can't help thinkin' that her dying somehow saved us all. As horrible as I know it sounds, Michael did the right thing."

"He didn't _want_ to kill her," Maria insisted.

Alex cleared his throat, glancing at her and seeing the worry in her expression. "No, you're right. I think the first thing we should remember here is that he didn't take aim at her with the intent of killing her. It was the result of him protecting Maria, protecting all of us. However, we have to look at it from the other side too. Tess was a threat to all of us as well as everyone we care about. She drove that point home when she showed up at your house the other day."

Max was relieved to hear the agreement coming from the other guy. Somehow having Alex backing him up validated his belief that Tess' death, while horrible, was necessary.

Maria watched them, hearing the conversation without really listening to what was being said. All she could think about was Michael. She wondered how much Tess' death was going to cost him because she knew it wouldn't come without a price. The question was how high would it be? Would her death make him wary of his powers? Would it make him leave his family, leave her, just to protect them from himself?

She wondered what he was doing right now. Was he replaying that scene with Tess over and over again, torturing himself by going over how it could have played out differently? He was probably alone somewhere, hurting and questioning himself. Someplace only he knew about where no one who cared about him could get to him to comfort him and reassure him.

Liz was glancing up when she caught the sheen of tears shimmering in her friend's eyes and she hurried to get up, rushing over to Maria and taking her in her arms. "It's gonna be okay, Maria," she assured her. "_He's_ gonna be okay." She rubbed Maria's back and rocked her gently as she talked. "You've gotta trust Michael. You have from the very beginning, right? So you mustn't give up on him. You've just gotta trust that he'll come back."

"Mustn't?" Maria echoed with a watery chuckle. "Did you really just say the word mustn't?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I think I did."

"Since when do you ever use the word mustn't?"

Liz laughed and shrugged. "It just seemed right, okay?"

Alex watched them for a few moments before decided to lighten the mood in the room. "Is anybody else hungry? Because I'm starving and if you girls don't cook somethin' soon I'm not gonna be responsible for what happens."

All three girls turned to look at him and Maria was the first to break the silence. "If you're so hungry you can go make something. You've got two good hands, there's a fridge in the kitchen, and I'm sure you remember your way around in there. So feel free to help yourself."

"Ah, it's good to be loved, isn't it?" Alex slapped Max on the back as he stood. "C'mon, wanna give me a hand with makin' somethin' to eat?"

Max made a face. "Maybe we could just order a couple pizzas."

Maria nodded her assent and she looked down at her cell phone that was clenched tightly in her hand and she made a futile wish for it to ring. She knew Maggie would call as soon as she had news, but the waiting was driving her crazy.

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Maggie was hanging the phone up after talking to Maria when she heard her parents at the front door. How was she going to tell them? What was she going to tell them? They were going to know something was wrong as soon as she opened her mouth. She was a horrible liar. Why hadn't Grandpa just come back to the house with her? She looked at the phone her hand was still resting on. Maria had been relieved when she had told her that Michael had gone to their grandfather but she was understandably concerned about him going out into the desert for four days on a vision quest. It wasn't something that was easy to understand for those who hadn't grown up in their culture.

John helped his wife off with her coat and hung it up along with his as they conversed about their day. He was laughing at some story she was telling when they walked into the kitchen and saw their daughter waiting for them.

"You haven't started dinner yet?" Catherine asked as she went to the sink to wash her hands.

"Um, no."

"Where's Michael?" John motioned outside. "I noticed the truck isn't here."

"Oh, Michael… he's um…" She bit her bottom lip for a moment. "Well, actually, Grandpa wanted to talk to you about Michael." There, that would get the spotlight off of her. Let Grandpa handle it. Mom was going to lose it when she found out what had happened and she didn't want to be on the receiving end of that mood.

"River Dog… what does your grandfather have to tell us about Michael?"

Maggie shrugged and glanced outside, wishing Grandpa would hurry up and get there before she had to attempt an outright lie.

John's gaze moved from his wife to his daughter, easily seeing that she wasn't telling the whole truth. He had no doubt that something was going on that his father would be coming over to explain, but he was certain that she knew where her brother was. He knew Catherine was preoccupied, trying to get dinner started, wondering what River Dog was coming over to talk to them about and how it concerned Michael.

"I should go get washed up so I can help with dinner," Maggie said, hoping to make her escape so she could call her grandfather and find out what was taking him so long.

"Maggie," Catherine called just as she stepped out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, Mom?"

"Have you talked to your brother?"

"Um, yeah, a couple hours ago."

John's eyes narrowed slightly when she shifted from one foot to the other and her gaze shot to the clock on the wall behind her mother. She hadn't talked to her brother recently, he was sure of that. She was doing everything she could to keep from telling a direct lie and that was cause to worry in his book. Something was going on and it was serious enough that Maggie didn't want to be the one to tell them about it.

"Go on and get cleaned up, Maggie." He hid a small smile when she hurried out of the room and down the hall.

"Michael should've been home by now," Catherine was saying as she started dinner.

For the next 20 minutes or so she kept up a running commentary, her mind busy turning over possible reasons why her father-in-law needed to come over and talk to them about their son. Had he gotten into something that could get him in trouble? What if he had gotten hurt? No, surely if he was hurt River Dog wouldn't wait to bring him home. She paused, the pot she held suspended above the burner. Maggie would have mentioned it if Michael had been hurt.

She turned from the waist up when she heard a car door slam and she frowned when she saw her husband's truck outside. "John, did you see Michael?" she asked, drying her hands on a dishtowel as she crossed the kitchen to look outside.

"No, I didn't. I'll go let my dad in," he said as he left the room.

Catherine was twisting the dishtowel into knots when her husband and father-in-law came into the kitchen with Maggie behind them. She craned her neck to one side in an attempt to spot Michael, feeling her worry increase when she didn't see or hear him. The questions started to tumble out before she had time to think about them.

"Where's Michael? Why isn't he with you?"

River Dog raised his right hand in a bid for silence. "Michael came to see me earlier this afternoon."

"Is he alright?"

"Cath, let him tell us what happened," John insisted, taking her hand and stilling her nervous movements.

The old man's gaze was even as he studied his family. He knew he had to choose his words carefully. He was there to make them understand what was happening; he wasn't there to scare them. "Michael told you that he had met others like him, that he felt one of them was dangerous."

She looked at her husband fearfully. "Yes, he told us about them."

"He and the others met with this girl today. She had made threats and he believes that she was prepared to carry them out. Like him, like the others, she had abilities and she attempted to use them against Michael and the others. He reacted, his only intention to protect, and as a result the girl was killed."

Maggie's eyes widened in shock. No wonder Michael had been so upset when he had come home earlier.

"Killed," Catherine echoed, her voice barely above a whisper. She began to pace around the kitchen, her movements agitated. "No," she muttered to herself, "this isn't possible." Michael would be devastated. It wouldn't matter that the life he had taken was that of someone dangerous. It would only matter that someone had died at his hands. "Is he okay?" She shook her head at the stupidity of the question. He had killed someone, of course he wasn't okay! She continued to pace until her husband reached for her hand and stopped her. She turned on her father-in-law and demanded, "Where is he?"

"He's gone out into the desert. He's lost the balance and it needs to be restored."

"You just let him go out there alone?" It was a part of their culture and she knew her son was strong enough physically and mentally to handle the elements, but it wasn't so easy to think rationally when her son was out there, alone and hurting.

"Catherine," John said quietly. "Michael knows what he needs to do to deal with this. The boy's nearly a man and he knows his own mind."

"It was necessary," River Dog said. "His mind and spirit are wounded by what has happened. He has to accept his actions before he can find peace within himself. When he returns the most important thing is for him to have your understanding. You should use the time while he is on his vision quest to accept what has happened."

Catherine wasn't happy with what her father-in-law was saying and she didn't like how easily her husband was accepting things, but she knew she didn't have much choice in the matter. She fussed with the pots on the stove, readjusting the lids and taking them off before replacing them once more. Finished with that she picked up a sponge from the back of the sink and started to scrub at a nonexistent spot on the counter. No matter how old Michael got he would always be her little boy, but as much as she knew she had to let him go, it was still hard to do. The time had come to show that she understood he was growing into a man, that she knew he had to make his own decisions. And she had to find a way to live with them.

John watched his wife, recognizing her tense movements for what they were. It was a coping mechanism, something she did when she was on emotional overload. She would flitter about, doing meaningless tasks to occupy her mind. In this situation she was trying to prevent her mind from imagining every possible catastrophic scenario involving Michael alone in the desert. She would calm, but it would take time for her to reach a place where she could accept this new situation.

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	119. Chapter 118

**Part 118**

Michael walked deeper into the desert, leaving his grandfather's home in the distance. He carried only two canteens of water and his backpack, leaving everything else behind. He would walk out until he found a place that felt right and he would spend the next few days there. He would remain in the desert, in seclusion, until he had experienced his vision and deciphered its meaning.

The desert floor shimmered in the late afternoon sun and he squinted against its brightness. The heat was slowly dissipating as the sun moved further west and he knew once night fell the temperatures would as well. He wasn't concerned about surviving the elements because he had been raised to respect Mother Nature and he knew how to handle himself.

The longer he walked, the closer his mind came to revisiting that moment at Mustang Point. Closing his eyes against the images was a waste of time because they played clearly with or without the canvas of his eyelids. He hadn't used his powers with the intention of killing her; he had only wanted to stop her before she could hurt Maria. Or the others, of course, but Maria had been his priority. What would have happened if he had just injured her? If he had been able to control his powers and stop her without killing her.

What if Max and Isabel had joined him and they had used their powers collectively to control her? Would that have prevented her from going over the cliff? Or would it have just meant killing her sooner, making all of them responsible for her death? He didn't know them that well but he did know he wouldn't wish this weight on anyone else. He hadn't liked Tess and he hadn't wanted her near Maria, his family, or the others but he hadn't expected things to escalate and end the way they had. She hadn't been willing to consider that the Destiny crap she was spouting was wrong and she hadn't been interested when they told her they wanted no part of it. He wondered if her crazed mind had ever thought about the consequences of her actions.

The shadows grew longer as the sun began its descent and he hefted his pack higher on his shoulders when his feet brought him to the bottom of a large hill. He was reminded of another hill and the little blonde that had caught his attention from the first moment he had seen her on the Rez. He made the climb to the top, remembering the day he had taken Maria horseback riding and they had spent the afternoon watching Santana's herd. It was the day he had unintentionally revealed himself to her. The feeling of worry that had plagued him that day came back full force, intensified by the fear that after what he had done she would look at him and see a murderer.

What if she hated him for what he had done? Would she be scared of him now? She knew he was different, but now that point would be driven home. She had firsthand knowledge of what he was capable of; she had witnessed him killing another living being with her own eyes. Would she want to live with someone like him now that she knew the darker side of his personality? What if she decided she couldn't be with him anymore?

His booted feet made the climb in little time and as he reached the rise he shrugged the pack off and let it fall to the ground. He rolled his shoulders and paced back and forth, his eyes scanning the desert around him. What were his parents going to think? They had taken him into their home, raised him well, and how did he repay them? He looked down at his hands and frowned. He had put them in the same position Dakota had put his own parents in.

They would be disappointed in him. They would look at him and see a murderer. River Dog had assured him that everything happened for a reason, but they were all going to suffer for his actions. Would his mom and dad see it as self defense? Or would they view him as a killer? He had killed, intentionally or not, and now he had to live with that. But so did they.

What about Maggie? His little sister who had looked up to him for as long as he could remember. It wasn't like she thought he was perfect; she knew he had his faults and she delighted in pointing certain ones out. But this wasn't a flaw. He stopped and stared at the setting sun. What if his actions were a default setting? Tess had said he was a soldier in that other life; that he had commanded the kings' armies, and he had been ruthless. His gaze dropped to his hands again and he sighed.

He shook his thoughts off and set about clearing the area for his campsite. For the next few days he would focus his thoughts inward and wait for the vision to present itself. He left the foot he had brought in his pack for later if he needed it. Fasting was believed to make the visions more vivid during sleep so he'd wait it out. Hopefully his time alone in the desert would provide him with some answers because right now he was more lost than he'd ever been.

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Alex watched Maria as she rearranged the candy in the two bowls on the coffee table. She would sort them by the color of the wrappers before dumping them out and separating them by flavor. Finished with that she would empty the bowls out and equally divide them up by sorting them into two groups with equal amounts of each flavor. It was something she did when she was agitated and he knew the only way she would stop was if something distracted her.

When she dumped both bowls into a large single pile one more time Liz spoke up. "Hey, have you written anything for the paper lately?"

Maria looked up at the question. "What? No, not recently. I have a piece I've been working on about life on the Reservation, but it's not finished yet. I got it approved by Mrs. Harvey, so once it's written she said we could publish it in the school paper."

"I've read some of your editorials," Isabel commented. "They're pretty good. You have an interesting approach."

"Thanks." Maria smiled. "Maybe once things slow down I'll be able to focus on my writing again." She rolled her eyes. "After the adventures of the past few months I think I might be ready to write my first novel." She shook her head when she saw the worried looks on Max and Isabel's faces. "It wouldn't be anything connected to you guys or even aliens in general. I was thinking something along the lines of a series of detective stories. Maybe something with a detective and lots of adventures."

"Well, if anyone knows about connecting the dots to piece a case together, it'd be you," Alex said.

Maria grinned when his choice of words brought a childhood memory to the surface. "Not like you do," she teased.

"What're you talkin' about?"

"Domino," Liz guessed with a knowing smile.

Alex rolled his eyes as the two girls exchanged a look and started to laugh. "Hey, at the time it made perfectly good sense," he protested.

"It was before you guys started school," Maria explained when she caught the confused look on Max and Isabel's faces. "We were all over here spending an afternoon together and Alex was going through this phase where anything with dots had to be connected."

"I think we can safely blame that on all those connect-the-dots books your mom kept giving us to keep us occupied."

"Yeah, but you were compulsive about it, Alex," Liz reminded him with a laugh.

Maria nodded. "You really were, Alex." She shook her head at him. "Don't try to change the subject. We were sitting in the backyard when he looked over at my dog, that happened to be a Dalmatian, and he came up with the bright idea of connecting the spots on the poor thing's coat."

Alex snorted. "Please, the two of you were right there with me, and I wasn't the only one connecting the dots when your mom caught us."

"That much is true," she admitted.

"We got in so much trouble for that," Liz said, remembering it well. "Your mom was _not_ happy with us."

"Yeah, my mom grounded me for two weeks as soon as your mom called and told her what we'd done," Alex said.

"You actually drew on that animal?" Isabel asked.

"Hey, the dog didn't care and we got some pretty interesting designs out of it. I'm still not sure if your mom was madder about the dog or the fact that we were using her lipstick because the markers wouldn't work."

"It took forever to get that lipstick out of Domino's coat." She shook her head. "At least you guys got to miss out on that fun."

"Maria, my dad made me wash dishes at the Crashdown for like a week after that! Every day after school for that whole week, and we're talking by hand."

Alex snickered. "Yeah, you went to the teacher and asked for extra homework to get outta that too."

She rolled her eyes. "Didn't work either. I just ended up with extra homework after washing all those dishes."

Max laughed quietly at the mental image.

"Hey, speaking of dogs," Alex said with a glance at Isabel. "Maybe we could all give you a hand with the Christmas dog show tomorrow." He glanced at Maria, hoping she would say yes because it would help distract her.

"Sure, I'll help out," she offered, knowing that Maggie could reach her on her cell phone if she had any news about Michael.

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Maggie sat in an empty stall, the scent of the sweet-smelling hay surrounding her as she watched the puppy she and Michael had gotten for Joey for Christmas. The puppy bounced around in the straw, pouncing on the little ball she liked to play with. She watched the animal absently, her mind on her brother. She had known whatever was bothering him was serious but she had never imagined anything like this.

_What was going through his mind?_ she wondered. He had always retreated to deal with things that hurt or scared him so it wasn't surprising that he had taken off on his own after what had happened. She had left her parents and grandfather to talk on their own, knowing they had their own things to discuss. She wondered if Mom would end up blaming Maria for this or if she would let that pass. Maria had encouraged Michael to search for the answers he wanted. The answers he needed, she corrected herself. Her brother's girlfriend understood him in a way that the rest of them probably never would.

The puppy clumsily stumbled up to her and nudged her arm with a cold, wet nose and she reached down to pick the animal up. She hoped her brother was okay. She wasn't worried about him surviving in the desert; that was second nature to their people. She was more concerned about his mental and emotional state. He would be blaming himself and trying to figure out what he could've done differently. He had killed to protect everyone he cared about, but even though he hadn't intended to kill Tess he would think he was a murderer. It was just the way his mind worked.

If he wasn't able to sort things out in his mind he might leave them, afraid he was too dangerous to his family to remain. That wasn't something she wanted to think about. It was the whole reason why he had gone into the desert on a vision quest. To hopefully find peace for his wounded soul and to find a way to accept and live what he had done. She prayed he would find the answers he needed, that he would receive a vision that would clarify things for him.

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Nacedo looked around the house he and Tess had been living in since their arrival in Roswell. At least his cover gave him a viable reason for leaving so soon after they had moved to the small town. He would need to cover his tracks though because he didn't want to raise anyone's suspicions about their sudden departure. He would schedule a transfer with the school, have them fax his 'daughter's' records to a new school and interrupt the records before they could reach their destination.

There were no personal effects in the house so he could make arrangements for a moving company to come in and pack everything up to be transported to a new location. He would need to take some of her things to keep up the cover story that they were being called away for his job.

He wandered around the house, preferring his own company but unaccustomed to it after so many years with the young hybrid underfoot. Tess had been a means to an end, a necessary part of the plan that would one day permit him to return to their home planet, and now she was gone. Taking with her his best shot at going home. The deal he had made decades ago could not be carried out without her so he had to come up with a new plan. And to do that he was going to need time and a new identity. He began to finalize his plans for leaving Roswell, already putting Tess' death at the back of his mind.

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Michael stood at the top of his chosen campsite, his eyes staring at the stars that filled the night sky. They appeared larger out here, seeming so close that one could reach out and touch them. The moon had risen quickly, full and casting its white light over the desert. Shadows arose all around him and occasionally they would move as the desert dwellers left their burrows and ventured out in search of food.

The cool air caused his skin to prickle but he didn't even notice, too lost in his thoughts to be bothered. He began to pace after a while as his mind locked on the image of Tess' face at the moment when she had realized it was too late to save herself. Her scream seemed to echo throughout the desert but he knew he was the only one who could hear it. His mind was fighting to rationalize what had happened but he knew it was too soon. He fought to shut the thoughts off and focus on listening to the silence he knew was there if he could just find it.

He had to silence the voices from earlier that day. He had to remove the images of what had happened and open himself up. Something he hated intensely. He preferred to be out doing something instead of letting himself be guided, but he knew he had to do this if he was going to find a way to deal with his actions. He closed his eyes as he tipped his head back, forcing everything from his mind, making it a blank slate and letting the silence take the place of his chaotic thoughts.

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	120. Chapter 119

**Author's Note: **We've also started to post another fic on this site that we've been working on for a couple of years that is nearing its finish. It's a post-grad fic based on another of xmag's challenges. This one is rated M and does contain a character death, and it is also very angsty, but we can assure you we're both Candies. We'll be posting every Sunday and Wednesday for any of you who would like to read! The fic is called "The Man Who Didn't Belong".

**Part 119**

Maria rolled over in bed and cracked one eye open to look at the alarm clock, frowning at it when she saw the time. 8:04am. She flopped over on her back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment before closing her eyes again. She was on the edge of the dark abyss of sleep when the events of the day before came rushing back at her and her eyes snapped open again. She grabbed her cell phone where it was laying on the bed next to her, hurriedly checking the display to see if she had missed any calls.

She sighed when she saw that there were no missed calls. She had no way to check on Michael and while she knew he was fully capable of handling himself out in the desert she worried about his frame of mind. He had been upset and killing Tess had scared him and now he was in the desert, God only knew where, trying to figure everything out on his own. Native Americans handled conflicts differently than other people and Michael had been raised in their culture, he had been raised to approach things in a different manner.

It just hurt knowing he was alone even though she knew it was what he would want in this situation. He wouldn't want anyone else around while he was trying to come to terms with what he had done. She wondered what exactly he was doing out in the desert and if he would ever tell her about it. He was difficult and he was stubborn, two things that she doubted would ever change, but he had gotten better with her.

She rolled over and crossed her arms over her chest, cradling the cell phone against her body as she closed her eyes once more. Maybe she would call Maggie later, just to ask if she had heard anything. She already knew the answer, but hearing her boyfriend's sister's voice might help a little bit. She bit her lip and her eyes opened again when she heard her mom moving around in the kitchen. Her thoughts turned back to the four people who had stayed with her until late the night before.

They had finally gone home at nearly 11pm, but only after she had agreed again to join them to help Isabel with some Christmas thing. She appreciated all of them staying with her and trying to distract her while her mind was preoccupied with Michael. Nothing was going to get him off of her mind, but the small distractions had helped to make the waiting more tolerable. Liz and Alex were making an effort, trying to reestablish a connection, and Max and Isabel were doing their best to be supportive as well.

She wondered how things would have turned out differently if Liz and Alex had told her the truth about what had happened that day at the Crashdown. She might not have met Michael, might not have him in her life now. Knowing Michael and the secrets he had to maintain on a daily basis just for his survival gave her an appreciation for what her old friends had chosen to keep from her. No, she still didn't agree with their methods, but she could understand the need to keep that secret.

Her thoughts turned to Max and Isabel. She wouldn't have expected them to want to help out, to offer to go and look for Michael when they had no familiarity with the Rez or the desert, or to take their time to distract her. They seemed to be genuinely concerned about Michael, especially Isabel. She wondered if Michael's theory about him and Isabel being siblings could be true. She had to admit there was a resemblance that didn't seem apparent between her and Max. What would River Dog think about them? What if she took them out to meet him? She wouldn't take them to meet his immediate family because it was his place to do that, but River Dog knew things about them as aliens, or hybrids, and that could possibly be beneficial to them as well. Maybe she would bring it up later when they were alone.

She looked up when her mom knocked on the door. "Hey, Mom."

"Are you going to get up?" Amy asked as she sat down on the foot of Maria's bed. "Breakfast will be ready soon."

"Yeah, I was just thinking," Maria said as she stretched.

"About your company yesterday?" She smiled at her daughter's expression. "I didn't miss the fact that Liz, Alex, and I'll assume their significant others were all in the living room yesterday before I left."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I guess I was thinking about them."

"Where was Michael?"

"He's dealing with some things right now and he needed to be alone."

"Things are better between you, Liz and Alex?"

"Getting there." She swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. "I'm actually gonna go over and help out with some Christmas thing Isabel's putting together this afternoon."

"It'll be good for you." She patted her daughter's leg. "Get ready and come down for breakfast."

"Alright, Mom, give me fifteen minutes and I'll be there." She got up and gathered her things before heading down the hall to the bathroom, wondering absently what one wore to prepare things for a Christmas dog show.

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Michael stood up from his sitting position and stared out across the desert. He had slept very little the night before, only catching a few minutes of rest here and there. He was restless, unable to sit still for very long in spite of knowing that he needed to open himself up. His mind was still too active, too worried about his family and Maria, and wondering how he was going to face them again.

His mind had locked onto those concerns and it wouldn't let go and he knew until he could clear his mind he wasn't going to be able to achieve the visions he needed to help him find his balance. He glanced out at the morning sun before turning to grab one of the canteens and hooking the strap over his head and around his shoulder. He needed to move, put more distance between him and his thoughts. Maybe then he would be able to quiet the thoughts filling his head. He grabbed a baseball cap out of his pack and put it on, conscious of the effects of walking under the desert sun.

He set out across the desert with no destination in mind, simply walking and allowing his mind to sift through his thoughts. He paid no attention to the sun bearing down on him as it rose higher in the sky, mindless of the sweat slowly beading up on his skin and dampening his clothes. The farther he walked the more his thoughts seemed to move around and fall into some sort of order.

Thoughts of Maria and his family dominated his mind and he knew stressing over their reactions to what he had done wasn't helping anything but he couldn't help it. He had revealed the darker side of his nature by killing Tess and no matter what he did with the rest of his life he would never be able to wash her blood from his hands. As scared as he was to know what they thought of him now he knew he needed to know. Would they feel he was a danger to them? That him being who he was could put them at risk? His family had always encouraged him to be his own person and they had never shied away from the fact that he was an alien or that there were a lot of unknowns in his past. _You've never committed murder before either,_ his conscience helpfully supplied.

_What will your family think of you now?_ He wanted to believe that they would understand that he hadn't killed her with premeditation, that he had done it to protect them from her, but there was that part of him that feared their reactions. Maria had gotten to him; she had wormed her way into a part of him that no one else had ever touched and now he didn't know what would happen to him if she turned her back on him. He didn't want to believe that she would do that, that she could do that, not after all they had been through. _She watched you kill another living being. Did it matter that it was Tess?_ Someone bent on forcing her own wants and desires on them. Someone who he believed would have brought harm to those he and the others cared about if it meant furthering her own agenda? No, it didn't matter. Murder was murder. Maria's voice picked at that comment, insisting that he had been protecting them. He shook his head, kicking out those wishful thoughts. She had never said that. What she had done was refused to get out of the truck until he had agreed to call her and then she had kissed him and gotten out of the truck.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and carefully shifted thoughts of them aside to focus on Max and Isabel. He had to figure out what to do about them. What role were they going to play in his life? Did he even want them to have a role in his life? The three of them were bound together by their past and their DNA, but was it possible to transform those things into a present bond? Did he even want that? He snorted. Would they even want that now? He had no idea if the two of them would have any interest in getting to know him better after witnessing what he was capable of.

Or was it something they were all capable of? Maybe the ability to kill was genetic, something buried in their genes. Maybe they were all proficient killers deep down and it was just a matter of tapping into that particular dark well. Tess had known that darkness, she had embraced it. Was it a matter of her being raised by an alien or was it something more? There had been a coldness about her, a calculating look in her eyes as she told them what their lives were supposed to be. Maybe it did have something to do with her being raised by an alien because he and the others had been raised by humans and that lack of empathy didn't exist in them. Was that how they would have been had they been found by Nacedo instead of River Dog or their parents? He didn't know and he wasn't sure how deeply he wanted to look into it right now.

Before this he hadn't been sure if he really wanted to get to know Max better. Isabel, yes, he would admit to wanting to get to know her because he was sure they were related. How could that resemblance be overlooked? Not to mention certain personality quirks. He had a feeling she wouldn't appreciate anyone suggesting she had quirks of any kind. They must have been separated in the desert, but if they were how could he not remember them? How could he have no recollection of his past prior to River Dog finding him in the desert?

Maybe none of that mattered. They might not have any interest in getting to know him better after what had happened. For all he knew they wouldn't want anything to do with him now. It might be better if they just went back to their own lives and cut their ties with him before he could do anymore damage. Maybe it would be better, safer, for all of them to just go their separate ways now.

He checked the sun's position in the sky when he stopped to take a drink from his canteen. He poured just a small amount of the cool water into his hand and splashed it on his face and the back of his neck before screwing the cap back on and looking around. The sun was climbing higher in the sky and the temperatures would only continue to rise. He was coming up on that time of day when it was most dangerous to be exposed to the sun so he decided to take a break and take shelter for a while.

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Isabel sighed, the sound a mix of frustration and annoyance when one of her underlings moved one of the wire pens to the right. "_My_ right, not yours!" She stomped her foot in aggravation when Alex and Max, who were facing each other across the pen, each moved in a different direction and the pen shifted at an odd angle, forming a sort of diamond shape instead of the square that it should have been. "Are you deliberately trying to irritate me?"

Alex bit his bottom lip as he glanced up at Max. "Is your sister always like this?"

Max just snorted and shook his head. "I'd think you'd know better than to voice that question considering the amount of time the two of you spend together." He yelped when his sister came up behind him and grasped the back of his neck.

"Max, if I'm standing behind Alex and I tell you to move to my right, why are you moving to _your_ right?"

"I don't know, Iz, to aggravate you maybe?"

"Well, mission accomplished because that's exactly what you're doing!" She gave his neck another squeeze before tapping the pen with her clipboard. "Now move the pen… to your left," she said with exaggerated patience. "And when you've finally accomplished these very simple directions I want you to decorate the pen with the red and green bows. In the exact order that I have them in the diagram, do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand." He glanced over his shoulder when she walked off to make Liz and Maria's lives miserable. "All hail the Christmas Nazi," he muttered under his breath.

Isabel stopped and spun around on her heel to stare at him. "What was that?" Her sharp gaze moved over his face and then checked Alex's features.

Max assumed a clueless expression. "What?"

"I'll be back to check on these pens and I expect them to be properly arranged and decorated."

He just nodded and waved her off. "Just for the record, she gets like this every Christmas." He moved the pen to his left and set it down.

Isabel marched over to Liz and Maria, stopping in her tracks and frowning when she saw them giggling over something and wrapping the garland around the entry all wrong. "What are you two trying to do to me?"

Liz's fingers paused with the garland suspended away from the frame that had been constructed around the entrance to the park and she shot a quick glance at Maria. "Um, hanging the garland like you told us to do?"

"Did I also tell you to make it look like a five-year-old had hung it? No, I'm certain I didn't add that in the instructions."

"Well, all you said was to hang it and it looks pretty good." She leaned back to look at it and shrugged one shoulder.

"But it could look better, couldn't it?" Isabel huffed impatiently and grabbed the garland, giving it a good shake and bringing it down. "It needs to be exactly three inches from the ground on both sides. Not five inches on one side and one on the other."

"Does it really matter if it's perfect?" Maria asked. "I mean, Christmas isn't about perfection."

"I don't think the dogs will really care if the garland is…" Liz trailed off at the frosty glare her boyfriend's sister shot at her. "Right, but the owners might care," she backtracked and reached for the garland. "We'll get it right this time."

"See that you do." She turned to walk off, calling over her shoulder, "I'll be back in twenty minutes to check on that garland and I'll expect it to be hung correctly."

"Now I know why Max calls her the Christmas Nazi," Liz grumbled. "I really thought he was kidding about that."

"Like anyone cares if the garland is exactly three inches off of the ground," Maria said and rolled her eyes. "Every dog who comes through this entrance will probably pee on it anyway."

Liz looked down at the garland in her hands. "Um, do you think this's the same garland they use every year?"

Maria eyed it suspiciously and made a face. "I don't know, but let's not touch the ends just in case."

The two girls glanced at each other and started giggling again.

As the fit of giggles began to calm Maria's fingers paused on the garland and she stared out at the Main Street that led out of Roswell and towards the Rez. Her thoughts wandered to Michael and she hoped he was doing alright. She had checked her phone numerous times but she hadn't missed any calls. It was too soon for him to have made peace with what had happened, so it was too soon to expect a call from him. Rationally she knew that. Her heart, on the other hand, wasn't interested in rational explanations.

"…do you think will win today?"

She frowned as she tuned back in just in time to catch the end of Liz's question. She had no idea who in town had entered their dogs into this contest and to be honest, she didn't really care. Seeing some of the dogs that people had started to parade in had only made her think of the day she and Michael had gone out to pick out a puppy for Joey. She smiled at the memory of him taking her to have her picture taken with an honest-to-God reindeer before she started arranging the garland to Isabel's specifications and debated the winner of today's contest.

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Max collapsed into the booth next to Liz at the back of the Crashdown and sighed at the feeling of being off of his feet. He looked up at Alex when he joined them and shook his head. "Don't ever suggest we all help my sister out for one of these things again. It's bad enough that she bosses me around at home."

"C'mon, it wasn't that bad," Alex said, ushering Maria into the booth and grabbing a chair from a nearby table. He glanced outside where Isabel was enthusiastically talking to the owners of the dog that had won the blue ribbon. He shrugged at the look Max shot at him. "Okay, it was definitely a new side to your sister."

Max snorted. "Better get used to it."

Alex showed no concern as he reached for the menu standing at the end of the table between the salt and pepper shakers. He opened it up and placed it flat on the table as he braced his weight on his forearms to study the contents.

"Alex, you know that menu up one side and down the other," Maria said, poking him.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure what's gonna strike my fancy today, therefore I'm gonna peruse the menu if you don't mind."

"At least we don't have to worry about him challenging us to an eating contest," Liz spoke up.

"Oh my God, I forgot all about that," Maria said, pushing Alex's shoulder at the memory. "I was sick for days after that."

"It was not days, drama queen," Alex denied as he debated between a cheeseburger and a chicken sandwich.

"Maybe not days," Liz agreed, "but it was 24 hours with an excruciating stomachache."

"He ate more than both of us and he wasn't anywhere near as sick," Maria complained.

Alex just grinned. "The two of you started out by wolfing down all of the ice cream in your mom's freezer. You never start somethin' like that with a dairy product."

"Like you even knew that when we were eight," Liz said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not the one who spent hours paying homage to the porcelain god, am I?"

"Eww, Alex!"

He just laughed when both girls smacked his arms. He looked at Max as he raised his hand and motioned to let their waitress know he was ready to order. "If you ever need to know anything about these two, I've got all the dirt on 'em."

Max just shook his head and gave the waitress his order, listening as the other guy placed the rest of the orders from memory. His eyebrow quirked when he placed an order for Isabel and he hoped for the guy's sake he had gotten it right. Half the time he couldn't remember what his sister ate or how she liked her food since her likes and dislikes could change at the drop of a hat.

"Okay," Isabel said, sliding into the booth next to Maria and smiling brightly, "what'd I miss?"

"Just a story that you'd prefer to miss anyway," Alex assured her.

"You've already ordered?"

"Um-hmm, got it all under control." He hooked his thumb over his shoulder. "So, Mr. and Mrs. Wilkerson seemed to be pretty happy that their dog took first place."

Max watched them as they talked about the show earlier that afternoon and she never said another word about her order. He was still amazed at how differently she acted with Alex. It was a good thing, it just shocked him that out of everyone at school it was Alex who had somehow reached her.

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Michael made the climb back to his campsite as the sun was making its final descent for the day. The air was already beginning to cool and he set about making a fire. The physical activity of hiking out several miles, breaking to wait out the worst of the heat, and then hiking back to camp had helped to tire him out. Physically he was exhausted but his mind was finally starting to wind down. He hoped that he would be able to sleep tonight.

His stomach was growling, reminding him that he hadn't eaten in more than 24 hours and he grabbed his pack, pulling out a piece of cornbread and unwrapping it. He sat by the fire, cross-legged, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the streaks of pink and gray following the setting sun across the sky. He ate the cornbread slowly, his thoughts moving to his family and for once they weren't focused on what they thought of him now. They would be finishing dinner and Maggie would be complaining about having to do the dishes. He smirked tiredly. Without him there she'd have to wash and dry. She'd make him pay for that when he got home.

The exhaustion in his mind and body had allowed his thoughts to calm, to revert back to normal everyday thoughts. He brushed the crumbs from his clothes and checked the fire before unrolling his sleeping back and stretching out on his back. He stared up at the sky, watching the stars begin to appear one by one until eventually the black canvass was dotted with the little pinpoints of light. He sighed tiredly as his eyes moved from one constellation to the next, easily identifying them without conscious thought, and his eyes grew heavy as he balanced on that fine edge between being awake and asleep.


	121. Chapter 120

Part 120

Alex sat on the short wall that formed the border around the rooftop outside of Liz's bedroom, his gaze following the Jeep as it disappeared down the quiet main street. He and Maria exchanged a knowing grin when Liz finally stepped outside to join them, blushing lightly when she caught the look on their faces.

"What?" she asked, brushing her hair back and sitting down beside Maria on the chaise lounge.

"25 minutes to say goodnight?" Maria teased.

Liz elbowed her and giggled quietly. "You know how it is."

Maria snorted softly. Yeah, she knew how it was. "What about you, Alex?"

He looked up at them. "What about me?"

"Well, you drove Isabel home and you were gone for almost an hour."

"We were talking." He shrugged one shoulder and smiled. "It was a long day."

"So, you guys are together?" Maria asked.

He smiled as he looked at the girls. "We're as together as she's able to be right now."

"Are you okay with that?" She shook her head before he could answer. "I just mean it seems like it's a little one-sided. You're the one taking the heat for daring to cross the social lines."

"That's just because you guys don't know her like I do. Yeah, there have been some problems with some of the kids at school, but that was to be expected."

"But you're so easy going and she's so…" She made a face as she searched for the right words.

"High maintenance," Liz supplied helpfully.

"We're just a little concerned that she'll walk all over you. She's used to using guys and throwing them away."

"You don't know her," he said again. "That's like us thinking that Michael's dangerous and he's gonna hurt you simply because he's intimidating to everyone else." He snorted. "Yeah, Isabel can be intimidating, she can be high maintenance, and she can be really overbearing when it suits her, but there's a lot more to her. You just have to get past that to see the real Isabel beneath that surface. I think if you guys ever get to know her you'll like her."

Liz brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them as she looked at Maria. "You remember the basketball game where we ran into each other?"

Maria nodded. "Sure."

"All those people sitting around you… you seemed to know them."

"Michael's family. He has a really big family and when his sister Maggie has a game most of them come out to show their support. The only ones who weren't there weren't able to be there for one reason or another. Michael invited me to a ceremony a while back, and wow, it was amazing. A little intimidating with his whole family there," she said with a small laugh. "I mean, he's got so many cousins, aunts, uncles, his parents, sister, his grandfather. It was kinda crazy because you guys know me, it's just me and Mom, no big family gatherings or anything."

"You had fun though, huh?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. He has a cousin named Joey who's 16 and so sweet. He's slow and people pick on him, but Michael's just so amazing with him. And Shysie, another cousin of his, she's deaf, five years old and she just worships the ground he walks on. He's wonderful with her. And then there's Dakota, he's a jerk who treats Michael like he's nothing simply because he wasn't born with Native American blood running through his veins." She sighed. "I saw them actually get into a fight at a family barbeque." She chewed on her bottom lip as she remembered the look on Michael's face when his cousin had gone after him, and then later when he had allowed her to comfort and care for him.

"What're you thinking about?" Liz asked when Maria had been silent for several minutes.

She smiled. "You know, his grandfather calls him Magnum but he won't tell me why. It's become a game between us. Me trying to figure that out and him trying to guess my middle name."

"Magnum?" the brunette echoed. "There's gotta be a story behind that."

"Oh, there is, but it does nothing to give away the reason behind the nickname." She rolled her eyes but smiled. "I'll figure it out one of these days."

"Want some help?" Alex asked.

"Huh-uh, it's strictly between me and Michael." She smiled. "But thanks anyway."

"So, what kind of powers does he have?" Liz shrugged when they both looked at her. "Well, Max and Isabel don't have the same powers, so it only stands to reason that he would have different powers too. Max can heal, Isabel does that dreamwalk thing…" she nodded at Maria's shocked expression. "She can go into people's dreams." She shrugged. "It's a little unsettling."

"Oh, well, Michael doesn't do anything like that." She made a face at the thought of Isabel's power. "What'd you say about Max?"

Liz exchanged a look with Alex before speaking. "Max has the ability to heal. It's what started this whole thing. Well," she corrected herself, "what really started it was me being shot that day in the Crashdown."

Maria's mouth nearly dropped open in shock. "You were shot?" she whispered hoarsely.

She nodded and swallowed hard. "Max healed me and made sure that no one would know that I had been shot, but Alex was there and you know how nosy he can be when he wants to be."

"Hey!" he protested.

"Well, you are, Alex," she insisted. She launched into the story when Maria made an impatient rolling motion with her right hand.

Silence fell over the three of them as Liz came to the end of the tale and Maria looked back and forth between them. She leaned over and hugged Liz tightly. "I'm glad you're okay and that he was there to save your life."

Liz swallowed hard and returned the embrace. "I wish we had handled things differently, Maria."

"Yeah," Alex agreed, "we should've handled it better than we did. There's no excuse for the way things went down."

Maria nodded. There was no point in telling them it was okay. Because it wasn't. But maybe they could move forward now that they were getting things out in the open.

Alex was watching the girls after they fell silent and he decided it was time to get Maria talking again. "So what about Michael?"

"What about him?" Maria asked.

"You said he can't dreamwalk, right? Can he heal?"

She shook her head. "No, his powers are different." She smiled as she thought about the day he had taken her out into the desert to photograph her and before she knew it she was sharing the story. As the hours passed they took turns sharing their experiences with their hybrids and on more than one occasion Liz and Alex exchanged amused glances as Maria would get overly enthusiastic while telling them things about Michael. It was easy to see just how in love with Michael she was and the more excited she got the fewer opportunities they had to get a word in but neither of them cared. For the first time in too long things between them felt like they were coming together the way they were supposed to be.

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_The hawk soared high above the desert, its eyes seeking out any movement below. Its sharp gaze pinpointed dust rising in the distance and it altered the course of its flight to take it to the source of the disturbance. It came to rest on a boulder high above the canyon below and its head tipped to one side as it observed the herd of running horses. The dust settled as the herd stopped running and the hawk cried out when its gaze landed on the stallion and mare that stood apart from the others._

_Santana lifted his head as he searched for the source of the sound. His small ears flicked back and forth and his nostrils flared as he pawed the ground nervously. He calmed slightly when Mirage rested her neck across his but his eyes continued to scan the horizon as he sought out any potential threats. _

_High on its perch the hawk blinked rapidly, its head tilting to one side as it detected the tiniest of movements in the distance. It took flight, its wings opening up to span just over four feet as it soared through the air._

Michael shook his head, his eyebrows pulled down in a frown as he tried to understand the scene unfolding before him. He was neither awake nor asleep, but drifting somewhere between the two planes. He shifted restlessly and settled once more as the animal materialized so that he could recognize it. A gray fox, reclusive in nature, crossed the desert and he looked up to focus on the hawk as it followed the crafty predator.

_The hawk circled as it watched the fox, its eyes locked on the animal and waiting to see where it would go. The fox stopped to rest in the shade from an outcropping of rocks and it peered around the edges after a few moments before starting to move once more. The desert heat was unforgiving as it trotted across the burning sand, panting heavily and lifting its head occasionally to determine the hawk's flight path._

The frown appeared again when he felt a pull deep inside. There was something familiar about the area surrounding the fox but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

_The fox pushed ahead in spite of the increasing temperatures. It was a creature more suited to nocturnal traveling but it continued to lead the hawk to its destination. It paused when it reached another outcropping of rocks, its head turning from side to side as it sought a way past the high rise of rocks. It ran back and forth, emitting a shrill whine when the rocky wall continued in both directions. It ran to the west, following the wall and glancing up from time to time to make sure the hawk was still there._

_A few trees rose before it and it ran towards them, jumping and using its hooked claws to aid it in climbing the tree. It moved higher up the thin trunk and searched for a place to safely jump to the rocks. It jumped from one tree to the next, finally locating a flat area on the rocks with craggy rises leading to the top of the formation. It landed on the ledge and climbed to the top of the outcropping then ran along the top to find the way back down with ease._

Somewhere deep in Michael's mind rational thought pushed to the surface as he tried to make sense of the trees the fox had used. There were no trees like that growing in the desert. He had spent his life in and around the desert. The gray fox could climb trees, he had seen them do it before so that little bit of information was at least accurate. He pushed the thoughts away, knowing they would only distract him.

_The hawk watched the fox as it nimbly made its way along the craggy side of the outcropping, dropping gracefully to the ground when it was close enough. The fox turned to look at the outcropping, dropping its head as it ran along the bottom edge of the rock face. The hawk came to rest on the rocks above the fox, watching it as it suddenly stopped near a small opening that was carefully hidden well out of sight._

_The fox crept through the opening and the hawk tipped its head at an awkward angle in an effort to catch sight of it again. It blinked rapidly when it heard a quiet yelping coming from below, the sound sharp. It crept along the rocks, hopping over to a ledge that stuck out farther, and it watched as a wolf cub appeared from the opening. It was followed before long by two others and the three of them wandered around, occasionally playing as they discovered their surroundings._

Three wolf cubs wandering in the desert. Yeah, he understood the symbolism there.

_The hawk stared at the cubs, watching them when something in the desert startled them and two of them scurried back into the cave. The third cub remained outside, tiny ears pinned back and eyes squinting as the wind picked up momentarily, tossing grains of sand in its face. The cub looked around before running back to the mouth of the cave and ducking its head inside as if attempting to coax its siblings back outside. After a few moments it backed away and started to explore its surroundings and as the sun began to make its daily descent the cub began to wander further away from the cave._

Michael shifted restlessly as the scene with the cubs began to morph and he looked around as everything went dark for a moment before an iridescent green light illuminated the space around him. He stood, transfixed, as his eyes became accustomed to the strange glow and his gaze focused on the translucent green coverings on what he could only describe as some sort of pods set into the walls. He started to move closer but immediately realized that he couldn't move. He watched as one of the small forms behind the covering moved and a tiny hand pressed against it. The material cocooning the tiny beings inside was elastic, giving when pressure was applied.

Only one of them was moving though, pressing insistently against the covering as if trying to escape its confines. As he watched a tiny hand punched through the strange material and some sort of liquid gushed out, the force further widening the opening. He could feel the tiny lungs take in their first breath; the air of the chamber was musty and stale, but to the little boy that emerged it was life.

He stared at the little boy; half-human, half-alien, and so alone that he could feel that gaping hole in his little chest. His eyes followed him as he moved around the chamber, his little hands touching everything in sight. He watched himself, five or six years old, he didn't really know, but he was inquisitive. The boy walked over to the other pods and crouched down to poke at the material covering it and frowning when it didn't give at all. He opened his mouth, expelling a sound of protest when the small being behind the covering continued to float in the fluid without noticing his presence and he froze, his eyes darting around the chamber fearfully.

Michael could remember the days before he had realized that he was capable of making sounds and every noise had startled him. He watched him as the little boy beat his fists against the covering in vain before moving to the next one and repeating his actions to no avail. He moved to the fourth pod, staring at its occupant for a moment before backing away from it and Michael lifted his head in interest as the little boy's actions and reactions flipped a switch inside of him and he realized he was remembering these moments, reliving them.

Time seemed to pass right before his very eyes, minutes turning into hours as he had waited for something, anything, to happen. He had curled up in his pod that night, seeking comfort in the gentle hum that emanated from inside of it. His stomach had started to growl, but he hadn't correlated it with hunger at that time. Eventually hunger had driven him from the cave and he had wandered out into the desert, seeking food, and getting lost.

Suddenly he was outside of the cave and high above the earth the clouds began to rush across the sky, hues of pink, blue, gray, and black, chasing each other across the canvass and altering time. He watched as the wolf cubs appeared once again, growing and maturing before his very eyes.

_The hawk watched from high above as they circled each other, wary and suspicious, before finally coming to an acceptance. It was the stealthy movement of a predator that drew its attention away from the wolves and it launched into flight to observe the intruder and intercept it if necessary. The lynx moved silently as it approached the wolves and it didn't feel any threat when they became aware of its presence and began growling. _

_The hawk circled overhead, observing the interaction between the animals and waiting for its moment. The lynx would be a dangerous opponent and one that would be difficult to match in strength. The wolves stood shoulder to shoulder, seeming to be caught up in the hypnotic gaze of the lynx. Primal instinct drove the hawk as it neared its prey and its distinct cry echoed through the desert when the animal below continued to pad across the desert floor. _

How appropriate that in his vision the lynx would be chosen to represent Tess. It was an animal that Native Americans believed to possess supernatural qualities.

_It held the wolves captivated as it neared them and the ground around them began to tremble, crumbling and falling away until the four of them stood on what was left of the desert floor. Open space surrounded them, revealing the blackest of nights. One of the wolves began to slip when the ground beneath its back foot began to crumble and the lynx moved closer, growling menacingly._

_The hawk cried out as it swooped in, talons extended as it targeted the lynx. The cat was unprepared for the attack and it reared up on its hind legs, razor-sharp claws ready to shred its opponent to pieces. The lynx toppled backwards as it swung at the hawk, losing its balance and falling back with an outraged screech. The hawk soared high once more, coasting on the wind as the darkness was slowly broken and the stars began to appear._

Michael opened his eyes to stare up at the sky, staring at the stars for a moment before a sense of peace began to infiltrate his being. Sleep moved in to claim him, but for the first time in days it wasn't filled with nightmares or his overactive mind worrying about every little thing it could conjure up.


	122. Chapter 121

**Part 121**

Maria was sitting on the front porch watching the sun slowly make its appearance when she heard the door behind her open. She turned her head slightly when her mom sat down beside her and handed her a cup of coffee. Her hands wrapped around it tightly, soaking in the heat from the hot ceramic mug. She hadn't realized that she was cold until now and she lifted it to her lips to take a sip, feeling the warmth spread through her as she swallowed the bitter liquid.

"Is everything okay between you and Michael?" Amy asked quietly.

"Yeah, we're fine." _I hope._ She had no idea where his mind was or what he was doing out in the desert with only his thoughts for company.

"Where's he been the last few days?" She took a drink of her own coffee, keeping her tone lightly inquisitive without being intrusive.

"He's on a vision quest." She squinted against the sunlight. "I don't really understand it," she admitted after a few moments of silence. "I mean, I get that it's a part of his culture, but going out in the desert for days on end? How does that solve anything?"

Amy smiled when Maria started to talk to her. "Did something happen between you two?"

"No, not between us. He's just… there were some things he had to deal with and I guess he needed to do it alone." She knew he tended to withdraw when he had something intense to face and she understood that, but part of her wished he would just open up to her about it.

"You know, Michael has a deep connection with his family and culture, honey. Native Americans are a very spiritual people and they handle problems a little differently than we do. If something was troubling him and it was important enough for him to undertake a vision quest then you know he's serious about finding a solution. A vision quest isn't something they take lightly and the person taking it has to be willing to face whatever's troubling them." She hugged her daughter. "He'll find his answers and when he does he'll come back to you."

Maria nodded. "It's just hard to know he's out there alone."

"He's not alone, honey." She smiled reassuringly at Maria. "His spirit guide's watching over him."

She snorted softly. "I'll still feel better when he's back home." When I can wrap my arms around him and hold him. When I can see and feel for myself that he's alright. She leaned back a bit to look at her mom. "What're you doing today?"

"There's a new art exhibit in Albuquerque that Gabriel and I wanted to see. Would you like to go?"

Spending the day with Mom and her boyfriend? "I think I'll pass on that, but thanks. Actually I was thinking about seeing if Liz, Alex, and the others wanted to go out to the Rez. I thought maybe I could show them around."

Amy smiled. "How long has Michael been out in the desert?"

"Today will make four days." She gnawed on her bottom lip as she thought over the past few days and how long they had seemed. She didn't expect to see him although she wanted to but being on the Rez would at least allow her to feel closer to him.

"He should be back soon then." She patted her daughter's hand as she stood up. "I'm gonna get breakfast started since it sounds like we both have a busy day ahead of us."

"Thanks, Mom." She smiled and leaned against the support column as she looked up at the sky. Four days, that was how long Maggie had said he would be gone.

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Maggie rinsed her toothbrush out before dropping it in the holder at the back of the sink. Her gaze was drawn to the door on Michael's side and she smiled as she realized she missed him beating on the door and demanding to know how much longer she expected him to wait before she turned the bathroom over to him. She opened the door and stepped into his bedroom, her eyes wandering over his things.

Her fingers reached out to wrap around the teddy bear Michael had carried everywhere with him when he was little and she smiled as she ran her thumb over the button that had replaced one of its eyes. Her brother hadn't been as adept at controlling his emotions at six years old even though he had tried hard to hold them in. The teddy bear had gotten slammed in the car door by mistake during a trip and he'd had a meltdown when it was freed from the door and it had been missing its left eye. Mom had come to the rescue and they had sat in the parking lot of the gas station until the stuffed animal had been repaired. She smiled and put it back, carefully propping it up against the stack of CDs.

She prowled around his room, stopping in front of his desk and looking at the pictures on the shelves above it. She smiled as her gaze paused on one of them sitting on the fence out back behind the house, matching black eyes and big popsicle-stained smiles. Michael had been the most fascinating person she had ever known and their bond had formed effortlessly. The two of them had been inseparable and even though they had started to pursue different interests as they got older they had retained that closeness.

Her fingertips rested on a picture of him and Maria that sat at the back of his desk next to his computer. It was a shot of them sitting together at the basketball game. Shysie was in his lap, leaning back against his chest with her head tucked up under his chin. Maria was leaning against his side and their joined hands rested on his knee. _Shadow had probably taken it,_ she thought as she identified several of their relatives in the background. He was really happy. He had found someone who knew him, who understood him, someone who didn't back down, and who would support him. They were a good match.

She had called Maria the day before to check in on her and see how she was doing in Michael's absence. They had talked for a while, reassuring each other that he was fine and just doing what he needed to do to accept what had happened. They'd had to talk around the truth, careful not to say anything that might reveal the events of that day, but it hadn't been that difficult. Christmas was just a couple of days away and she really hoped he would be home before then.

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John was reading an article on recycled irrigation in an agricultural magazine when Catherine came into the kitchen. He straightened up from his position leaning on the counter where he was waiting for the coffee pot to fill. He gave her a kiss and reached up to brush his fingertips over the dark circles beneath her eyes. "You need to get some sleep, woman," he said gently.

"I will."

_When he comes home._

She didn't say the words out loud but he knew she was thinking them. She had been restless since they had found out what had happened. She had slept very little, prowling around the house through the long hours of the night. When she wasn't walking the floor she was sitting in his room clutching the stuffed toy Michael had been so fond of as a child.

"Why don't you sit down and I'll make breakfast?"

"No, you've been up all night," she said with a shake of her head. She reached up to rub his shoulder as her eyes traced over his tired features. He had been called in even though he was supposed to be off because they had needed him to fill in for someone who was out sick so he'd had very little sleep the past couple of nights. He didn't stay up wandering around the house, unable to sleep because their son was out in the desert, trying to deal with the situation alone but she knew he was worried. Not so much about Michael being out in the desert on his own for days, but he was concerned about how he was doing in the wake of the alien girls' death. "Do you think he's alright, John?"

"I think he's having a difficult time with what's happened." He moved back when she nudged him so she could reach the coffee pot. "But I also think he's gonna be fine, Cath. The time in the desert will be good for him. I know as a mother this's hard for you, but you know it's what he needs."

She did know that and the rational part of her understood his need to seek his answers in the manner he had been taught and raised to respect. It was the irrational part of her that selfishly wanted him to come home so she could take care of him and make everything better.

"He's well past the age where we can fix everything for him, woman." John smiled when she turned her head sharply to look at him. "I know where your thoughts are."

"Go find Maggie and tell her breakfast will be ready soon," she said as she held a cup of coffee out to him.

He chuckled quietly and accepted the cup, letting his hand rest on hers for a moment before he turned and left the room. When he didn't find Maggie in her room he walked down the hall and opened the door to Michael's room. He leaned against the doorframe and watched her as she stood at the desk, her eyes roving over the pictures on the shelf. "The day I picked the two of you up for that schoolyard fight I knew you were gonna be alright." He shook his head and pushed away from the doorway. "Sending the two of you to school in Ruidoso was hard because we knew you would face difficulties."

"Because we're Native American," she said, her eyes moving back to the picture of her and Michael sitting on the fence. Her brother wasn't Native American by birth, but as a White child being raised by a family that was he had been the victim of reverse discrimination.

"Yes. Your mother and I faced that prejudice most of our lives, and we still encounter it on occasion. But sending our children out and knowing it was likely they would have to face it as well… it was difficult. Unfortunately, it's a necessary lesson." He sighed. "One we would've spared you if we had been able to."

"We've done okay, Dad."

He smiled and nodded. "You've both done very well. That day though," he said, motioning to the picture on the shelf. "That day I knew the two of you would be fine. There would be hurt along the way, but as long as the two of you had each other, you would be strong enough to deal with anything that was thrown your way. You've grown into young adults that your mother and I are both proud of."

They were silent for a few minutes, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

"Dad?"

He looked at her, one eyebrow lifted in question.

"Michael's gonna be alright isn't he?"

"As difficult as this is for him, he will come out stronger for it," he assured her.

"Today's the fourth day. Do you think he'll be home today?"

"I think he'll be home when he has his answers and when he's found the peace he needs to deal with what's happened."

"Christmas is coming."

John heard the slight tremble in her voice and he set his coffee down on the shelf by the door. He crossed the room and pulled his daughter into his arms, rubbing her back in small circles the way he had done when she was still a little girl. "Michael will come home when he's found what he needs to move forward." He patted her back and held her shoulders as he leaned back to look at her. "C'mon, your mom's making breakfast and it'll be ready soon."

"Okay."

After her dad had left the room she looked around, her gaze once more settling on the picture of her and Michael. She smiled softly. "Take care of yourself, big brother," she whispered. She stood there for another moment before going back to her own room to get ready for the day.

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Maria smiled as she stepped out of Alex's car, looking around for River Dog. He was standing several hundred yards from the house, his eyes closed and his face turned up to the sky. She wondered if he was praying as he lifted his hands to the sky for a moment before lowering them and turning to face his visitors.

River Dog walked towards them, his gaze silently assessing as he observed them, easily distinguishing two of them as the visitors. He was gifted with the ability to distinguish visitors from humans; whether that came from within or from his early exposure to Nacedo, he didn't know. Whatever it was had been enhanced by the years spent with his grandson and he was able to recognize visitors immediately.

Max and Isabel exchanged an uncomfortable look when the old man stared at them. It felt like he was reading their minds, seeing something that they weren't intentionally revealing.

"Why's he staring like that?" Max asked after several long moments.

Maria smiled and moved past them to walk over to River Dog. "He studies people, sees things that no one else does. Don't worry, you'll get used to it in time."

"Not likely," Isabel muttered.

"The way he stares is a little bit unsettling," Liz said quietly as she slid her hand into Max's.

Maria nudged Alex as he moved to stand beside Isabel. "C'mon, you guys, he doesn't bite." She walked over to the old man and smiled in greeting. "Hi, River Dog."

"Maria," he said with a slight smile.

"I know Michael's told you about the others and we've just about run out of things to do to keep us occupied while he's…" she looked out into the desert for a moment before she caught herself. "Well, while he's doing his vision quest, so I thought I'd bring them out to meet you."

"It's good that I can provide you with a diversion," he said with a quiet chuckle.

"Um…" she winced as she went over the way she had presented herself. "I didn't say that quite the way I meant it."

He shook his head and rested his hand on her shoulder. "I understood, Maria. How have you been?"

"Going crazy," she admitted after a moment of silence. "Do you have any idea how Michael is?"

"The spirits are watching over him."

"Is that like code for something?" She sighed. "I don't know what that means. This's the fourth day. Shouldn't he be back by now?"

"He will be back when he has the answers he needs. Be patient." He squeezed her shoulder and motioned to the others as they slowly approached them. He spoke with the others as Maria made the introductions, noting the silent communication between brother and sister.

Max and Isabel had been raised to be polite and their manners quickly kicked in. It was pretty intimidating and even a bit scary to meet someone who knew so much about aliens. He shot a glance at his sister before stepping forward and extending his hand. "Nice to meet you," he said, his tone slightly reserved.

River Dog smiled as he shook their hands. "There's no need for you to worry. Fear is a living thing and I feel it. It is unnecessary though. I'm on your side. I have been for many years."

"You knew Nacedo?" Isabel asked. "That's what Michael said before, that you had known him."

"I did, yes, and I can see that like Michael, you bear nothing in common with Nacedo."

He took in Isabel's features and wondered if his grandson was correct in his theory that the girl was related to him. He could see the physical similarities between them and as the conversation began to open up the similarities in their temperaments revealed themselves as well. "There are very few similarities between you," he said, his tone conversational.

"Yeah, we noticed that too," Max said. "But it's always been the two of us." He nudged his sister's shoulder.

"You're the one who found Michael, right?" Isabel asked. "Did you ever suspect that there were others?"

"I wondered, but there was no evidence of others when I found him."

"Our mom thought she saw another child that night," she said. "But when she looked again he was gone. It must've been Michael that she saw."

River Dog's expression was thoughtful as he watched them. "It is possible, but the Great Spirit had a plan if he chose to separate you."

Max and Isabel didn't know how to respond to that. Neither of them knew anything about the Native American culture.

Isabel watched the old man, seeing the kindness in his wizened eyes. "What was Michael like when he was little?"

River Dog smiled at the question, pleased at the effort being made to get to know his grandson, even if it was in an indirect manner. He began to speak, sharing stories about Michael and asking them questions about their childhood.

Maria, Liz, and Alex exchanged a look and smiled at each other as they watched Max and Isabel interacting with River Dog. They could feel the importance of the moment as the conversation unfolded between the three of them.

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Michael leaned against the shelter built to protect the payphone, receiver held between his shoulder and ear as he dug around in his pocket for a handful of change. He fed the coins into the machine, listening to the metallic clink as they settled into the collection area inside. He punched in 11 digits and leaned back, squinting up against the early evening sun as he waited for the call to be answered. He turned slightly when the cold wind picked up, smiling when he heard the hesitant hello from the other end of the call.

"Hey, it's me."

Maria nearly dropped the phone as she rolled off of the couch and jumped to her feet. "Michael! Are you okay? When did you get home? How's everything going at home? Are you okay?" She rolled her eyes when she repeated the question, forcing herself to calm down. "Are you?"

He smirked at her rapid-fire questions. "I'm gonna be okay, Maria. I'm uh, I'm not home yet. Wanted to stop and give you a call first, let you know I'd be home tonight." He scratched his eyebrow with his thumb. "Let you know I'm better."

"So being out in the desert like that really helped you?"

"Yeah, I had to clear my head and get things straight. Kinda figure things out." He picked at the faded blue paint on the shelter. "You been doin' okay?"

"I'm good. I've been spending some time with the others; getting reacquainted with Liz and Alex, and getting to know Max and Isabel. I took them out to the Rez today so they could meet River Dog."

"Yeah, he told me. I'm glad you did that." He turned his head when a car drove past and he nodded when the driver waved. "I wish I could see you tonight but I need to get home and let my family know I'm alright. And I'm pretty sure once I get home it's gonna be a little crazy for a while."

"No, don't worry about that. Your family needs to see you. I know how worried they are. Maybe tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

"Tomorrow? Yeah, tomorrow for sure." If it weren't for the fact that his family was worried about him he'd be on his way to see her right now.

"School's out until after the beginning of the year… I could come out there."

He smiled as he easily pictured her bouncing on the balls of her feet and chewing on her bottom lip as she waited for an answer. "Maybe around lunchtime?"

She nodded, already counting down the hours. "I'll be there."

He inhaled deeply and leaned back against the shelter as he looked around. He had been away for four days but life had gone on. He had a feeling that it had been a very long four days for the people he cared about. He rolled his shoulder, shifting the strap of his backpack into a more comfortable position as slouched against the building.

He had asked his grandfather to drop him off at the tribal office so he could make his phone call and made plans for the old man to pick him up again after about 15 minutes. He could only imagine what was waiting for him at home but he was ready to deal with it now.


	123. Chapter 122

**Part 122**

Michael dropped his head back to rest against the seat in his grandfather's truck, closing his eyes and enjoying the brief silence. It would be over all too soon and he would be home, trying to answer his mother's questions and ease her concerns. When he had arrived back at his grandfather's house he had been exhausted and still trying to make heads or tails of his vision. River Dog had taken one look at him and suggested they pay a visit to the tribe's medicine man. The monotonous sound of the tires against the dirt road began to lull him to sleep and as he gave in to it his mind drifted back to earlier that afternoon.

_As a child he had been afraid of Yiska. The medicine man had been old back then, his leathery features reminding him of a monster he had seen on the cover of some comic book at the store in town. As the years had passed and he had become a part of the people he had grown to appreciate the tribal elders. Yiska was one of the few who spoke only his native language, refusing to assimilate into the outside world. He had no proof, but he suspected the old man understood the English language; he just rejected it for personal use._

_River Dog had driven him out to a remote area on the reservation, a secluded section of land where the old man had resided since childhood. No electricity, no running water, and far away from the prying eyes of the interlopers who visited to get a glimpse of Native Americans and reservation life. Yiska lived in a traditional dwelling constructed of mud and sticks over a log frame. He was content to live his life in a manner that suited him and Dad had told him that the old man believed it helped him to keep his ties to the people and the land pure._

_Michael had long ago learned to respect the wishes of those who maintained their relationship to the old ways. Personally, he preferred electricity and indoor plumbing, and he would be happy to never have to live without either. Though if it ever came down to it he knew he would be resourceful enough to coexist with Mother Nature. He also hoped that it never came down to that. He had waited as River Dog spoke with Yiska, respectfully maintaining his silence until he was asked to speak._

_He didn't speak the language fluently so his grandfather would remain to translate for him. The medicine man would be able to interpret the vision without knowing the specifics of what had sent him in search of the vision. Yiska's ability to interpret the symbolism revealed in visions was well known among their people. He was the most revered and trusted person in their community and he had never broken trust with anyone in all of his years._

_River Dog motioned for him to come closer when Yiska moved away and he watched as the medicine man began to collect what he needed for a fire. The air was cold, the early morning frost burned off by the sun that had broken through the clouds overhead for a while. The sky was overcast and hinted at the possibility of a cold rain and he had been grateful for the fire when they had finally settled in a circle around it._

_The old man spoke in his native tongue, asking Michael to begin telling him about the vision. He began with the hawk that had been present throughout the vision, describing the way it had observed for most of the time, remaining at a distance until the end when it had clashed with the lynx. He talked about Santana and Mirage, the fox that had led the hawk to the wolf cubs, the interaction and eventual separation between the cubs, and finally the appearance of the lynx and its battle with the hawk._

_Yiska listened with interest as River Dog translated his grandson's words, occasionally asking for clarification, but otherwise remaining silent and considering what was being said. When Michael was finished describing the vision he rested his hands on his knees and tried to be patient while the old man closed his eyes and lifted his face skyward. His hands lifted and he began to recite a prayer that seemed to go on for hours before he became quiet once more, his eyes opening to look directly into the young man's eyes._

_He fought the urge to look away from Yiska's piercing stare. It felt as if the old man was seeing something he had no intention of revealing. It was only after the medicine man's searching gaze seemed to find what he was looking for that he began to speak. The words flowed from the old man's lips, the language spoken slowly in his rough voice._

"_The hawk is a messenger, your spirit guide," River Dog translated for his grandson. "The hawk is a symbol of guardianship. Yiska says the presence of Santana and Mirage in your vision represents freedom. The inclusion of both the stallion and the mare implies a connection to a relationship that is strong and enduring."_

_Michael looked at his grandfather, wondering if the implication of the relationship meant the horses represented him and Maria. She had opened up his world and given him the freedom to be himself. He could see a future with her, a future that was open and wouldn't tie either of them down._

_River Dog nodded at the unspoken question and continued. "The fox is a shapeshifter. It blends into its surroundings, seeming invisible. It is a cunning and agile creature."_

_A shapeshifter, Michael mused. Maybe the fox in his vision was supposed to be Nacedo. But they hadn't been found by the alien shapeshifter. He, Max, and Isabel hadn't been found by Nacedo, but Tess had. In his vision there had only been three wolf cubs and the fox hadn't hung around once the cubs had appeared at the mouth of the cave._

"_The wolf is a symbol of loyalty. Three cubs imply a strong bond of friendship or family. In your vision the cubs are separated but find each other again as adults. This represents the strength of their bond and suggests a connection that will exist throughout their lives."_

_So he was right about the wolf cubs representing him, Max, and Isabel. He had been certain that the symbolism was too obvious to overlook._

"_The lynx…" River Dog paused when Yiska fell silent, his expression thoughtful. He glanced at his grandson, seeing the worry on his face when the medicine man suddenly stopped speaking. After a few minutes the old man began to speak again and he nodded as he started to translate for Michael. "Yiska believes the death of the lynx is of great importance. Its death is necessary to the survival of the wolves, but it is the involvement of the spirit guide that confuses him." He stopped speaking to listen to Yiska as he continued and after several minutes he began to explain. "The actions of your spirit guide are rarely heard of. By involving itself and fighting with the lynx he believes it to be a sign. He says that the danger imposed by the lynx was so great that the Great Spirit imbued the hawk with his own strength to defeat the enemy."_

_Michael thought about the medicine man's interpretation of his vision. If the old man was right then he had been right to do what was necessary to protect those he cared about. He looked between the two men as his grandfather spoke with Yiska and he recognized some of the words._

River Dog turned to look at his grandson when he shifted, frowning in his sleep and trying to get comfortable in the confines of the truck. He gently pressed on the brake as he turned into the driveway of his son's home and from the corner of his eye he saw Michael sit up straighter and look around in an effort to get his bearings.

"Home already?" he asked, his jaw working as he tried to ease the stiffness in his face. He rubbed his left hand over his cheek as he reached for the handle on the door, shoving it open with his shoulder and lowering his right foot to the ground.

"They've been waiting for you to come home, Michael," he said when he saw the hesitation in the boy's features as he looked up at the house.

"I killed her," he mumbled, looking down at his hands. "Do you believe Yiska's right? I mean, about the part of the vision with the hawk and the lynx?"

"Yes, I do. Yiska is a wise man, Michael. Before you took your vision quest I believed that the alien girl's death, while tragic, was necessary. The more important question here is: Do you believe Yiska's interpretation was accurate?"

He thought about it for a few minutes before nodding. "Yeah. I guess I'm just not sure what everyone else is gonna think." He averted his gaze. "I don't want the people I care about to see me as a murderer."

"What does Maria say?"

"She's biased."

"Is she?" he countered, watching his grandson carefully.

He shrugged one shoulder. "No, I guess not. She's pretty good about tellin' it like it is. If she thought I was wrong for what I did she would've told me."

The old man chuckled and reached out to pat the boy's shoulder. "She's good for you, Magnum. Don't let her go."

He shook his head. "I don't intend to." He sighed and looked up at the house again. "Guess I might as well get this over with."

River Dog opened his door and motioned for Michael to get out too. "Come on, let's go talk to your parents and Maggie. I know they've been worried about you and they'll be glad to see you home safely."

Michael nodded, hiding the relief he felt when his grandfather said he would be accompanying him. His backpack hung from his fingers, the straps dragging the ground as he walked up to the front door with heavy feet.

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Catherine's heart leapt in her chest when she heard the sound of the front door opening and she dropped the spoon she had been using, not even hearing the clatter it made. John was in the living room reading the newspaper and Maggie was in her bedroom where she had been for the past hour, talking on the phone with Jesse. She ran from the kitchen, stopping in the doorway when she saw her son standing just inside the house. His jacket was halfway off of his shoulders as if he was just too tired to move any further, his backpack dangling from his right hand and dragging the floor.

She could easily read the exhaustion in his posture and see it in his features. He was filthy from being in the desert for the past few days and in desperate need of a shower. It was the sound of his stomach growling that broke the spell, freeing her from her shocked stare and sending her running to him. She threw her arms around him, pulling him to her and kissing his face over and over.

"Mom," he complained half-heartedly.

"Catherine, give the boy some space," John said as he joined them.

"Are you alright?" she asked, leaning back but otherwise ignoring her husband.

Michael looked between his parents, seeing their love and concern for him, but nothing more. No accusatory looks, no sign that he had betrayed them and become some sort of monster by killing Tess. "A lot better," he answered honestly. "The vision quest helped and it gave me the perspective I needed to deal with what happened."

"You need to eat," Catherine insisted. "You look like you've lost weight."

He didn't argue with her when she started fussing over him, leaning over to take his backpack and thrusting it into her husband's hands. She worked his jacket over his arms, shoving it into John's hands as well before taking her son's upper arms and holding him still while she looked him up and down. Finally satisfied she reached up to frame his face in her hands and she met his tired gaze directly.

"I love you," she said quietly, fiercely. "We all do. You know that, don't you?"

He nodded. "I know, Mom. Love you guys too," he mumbled.

She suddenly threw her arms around him again, hugging him tightly. "I'm so glad you're home."

"Dad," he muttered, hearing the pleading in his own voice.

"Catherine, why don't you fix this boy somethin' to eat," he suggested quietly. "He looks hungry enough to eat a horse. He also looks like if we don't get some food into him soon he's gonna fall asleep standin' on his feet."

"Oh, alright." She kissed her son's cheek one more time and stepped back to look at him. "You go and have a shower. Once you've eaten I have a feeling you'll be ready for some sleep and you'll feel much better if you're clean."

He nodded.

John moved forward when she finally gave the boy some breathing room and he gave his son a tight hug, grateful to the Great Spirit for returning him to them safely. As exhausted as Michael was he could see the acceptance in his eyes and he knew the time in the desert had been good for him. The Great Spirit had provided him with peace and answered his questions.

"John, let him get cleaned up so he can eat," Catherine fussed. "Can't you see he's tired and hungry?" She continued to mutter under her breath as she disappeared into the kitchen, missing the amused look that passed between her husband and son.

"Good to see that some things never change," he said with a grin as he released his boy.

Michael smiled tiredly and nodded. "Guess she's been pretty worried. Didn't mean to worry you guys, but…"

"Michael, you're a man, and as a man you have to do what you know to be right. Do you understand what I'm sayin'? A man defends what is his; he defends his people, his land, and the woman he loves. What is right sometimes causes conflict between your mind and your heart, and that is when you must seek out the Great Spirit so he may restore the balance." He nodded when he saw his son release a pent-up breath. "You have done that. What matters is that you're alright. Everything else will work itself out. We will always love you and support you, even when things aren't so easy." He stepped back and slapped Michael's shoulder. "Go shower before dinner. I have a feeling that your mom's right and once you've eaten you'll be heading for bed and some well-deserved sleep."

River Dog watched with approving eyes as his son and daughter-in-law greeted Michael and welcomed him back home with open arms. He was grateful that Catherine hadn't pried into the altercation between Michael and Tess, and that she hadn't sought answers about his time in the desert. It wasn't their way to discuss a man's journey but she was a mother and at times her emotions overrode everything else.

"He's exhausted and hungry, but appears well otherwise," John commented when Michael trudged down the hallway.

"The balance has been restored," River Dog said simply.

"You took him to speak with Yiska?"

He nodded. "He has spoken with Yiska and while his heart will take time to heal, his mind is where it needs to be. He has found peace with his actions and he has a better understanding of what happened."

"You'll stay for dinner?" John asked, changing the subject. Michael had obtained the answers he needed and if anything was to be discussed about his time in the desert he would have to be the one to bring it up.

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Maggie was in the middle of saying something when she heard the weary footsteps dragging down the hallway and her eyes widened in shock. "Jesse, I've gotta go. I think my brother's home." The call was quickly disconnected, the phone tossed on the bed and ignored when it bounced and fell to the floor. She hurried to her door and jerked it open, staring open-mouthed at her filthy brother when she nearly ran into him.

Michael was standing at her door, right hand raised to knock. She jumped into his arms, forcing him to take a step backwards or fall back against the wall. His arms came around her in a bear hug and he felt another piece of his tattered soul being mended at her joyful and uninhibited welcome.

"You're home!" she rasped, heedless of the tears in her eyes.

"Had to get back before you took over what's left of my half of the bathroom," he joked weakly as he released her.

"Find what you were lookin' for?" she asked as she followed him down the hall to his room.

He nodded. "Yeah." His movements were slow, his feet dragging as he got a clean set of clothes together. He paused over the open drawer in his dresser, one hand resting on a pair of socks. "Hey, Maggie?"

She moved further into his room and sat on the end of his bed. "Yeah?"

"I didn't mean to kill her." His hand clenched around the socks and he lifted his head to meet her gaze in the mirror. "I was just…"

"You were just protecting the girl you love. Protecting the others." She remained where she was, giving him the space she knew he would want. "It's who you are, Michael. That girl was a threat and if you hadn't stopped her she would've hurt them. Or worse."

"You've been talkin' to Maria."

She laughed quietly. "Four days with no word from you? The poor girl was worried like crazy about you. She'll be glad to know you're home." She tipped her head to one side as she studied him. "Unless she already knows."

He shrugged. "She knows."

She had suspected as much. "You're okay, right?"

"I'm okay."

"But you were worried about what we would think of you," she guessed.

"I've had the time to work through what happened, start coming to a place where I can deal with it, but everyone else…"

"Everyone else knows you, big brother." She got up and crossed the room to stand next to him. "No one sees you as a killer, Michael. I know you though, and I hate that you have to live with that for the rest of your life." She bumped his shoulder and smiled at him. "You smell like you haven't bathed in days."

That brought out a hint of a smile and he wrapped his arm around her, maneuvering her around until he just about had her in a headlock.

Maggie wiggled free and smacked his arm as hard as she could. "Gross, Michael! I don't need to get up close and personal with your armpit to know you need a shower." She made a face at him and shook her head as she backed up closer to the door. "It's a good thing Maria's not here right now." She stuck her tongue out at him and reached out to grab his doorknob. "She could probably smell you from the driveway."

He shot a glare at her and took a couple of steps in her direction, laughing under his breath when she pulled the door shut and he heard her disappear into her bedroom. Things were going to be okay. Reestablishing the balance within him was one thing, finding it within his family was something he had been worried about. He had been scared that his family wouldn't be able to accept him after what had happened but they had welcomed him back with open arms.

He grabbed his clothes and headed for the bathroom and a long, hot shower. He couldn't wait to eat something and crawl into bed. He felt like he could sleep for days. Well, maybe 12 hours or so. Maria was coming over the next afternoon and he wasn't going to miss that reunion for anything.


	124. Chapter 123

**Part 123**

Catherine turned her head to the side when she heard someone enter the kitchen and she smiled at her daughter. She turned back to her dinner preparations, not commenting when she heard the telephone handset being placed into the cradle. Her relief at having Michael home was almost overwhelming and she was still trying to get herself under control. It had only been four days since he had set off on his vision quest but it felt like it had been so much longer.

"Can I do anything to help?"

She closed the oven door when Maggie spoke up, fanning herself with the potholder and forcing down the tears of relief that were just waiting below the surface. "Set the table and fill the glasses. Oh, and make a fresh pot of coffee for your dad."

Maggie grumbled under her breath when her mother handed off the task of coffee making. She hated to make coffee. Actually, she hated coffee in general. She didn't like the bitter taste, the way it smelled, or anything else about it. She pulled the basket out and frowned down at the soaking wet filter, packed tightly with wet coffee grounds. She grasped the edges with her fingertips, hating the clammy feeling of the wet filter as she carried it over to the trash can and dropped it inside. She grabbed the filter basket and rinsed it under the faucet, watching the renegade grounds slip and slide around the sink before disappearing down the drain.

"So what do you think he saw out there?" she asked as she shook the water out and pressed a new filter into the basket.

Catherine placed the baking dish on the stovetop and slid the pan of cornbread into the oven as she mulled over Maggie's question. "I suppose that's between him and the Great Spirit." She wanted to know what he had seen or felt; what wisdom he had been gifted with to allow him to find peace with his actions. But she also knew it wasn't their way to discuss such things and as much as she would like to know, sharing it or not was his decision to make.

Maggie scooped fresh grounds into the filtered basket and slid it back into place before rinsing the pot out and filling it with water. "Did Dad ever tell you about what he saw when he went on his vision quest?"

"No," she said slowly. "Your dad's experience out in the desert is something he's always held close. It was a defining moment for him. It was intense and deeply personal."

_Intense and deeply personal. _ "So Michael probably won't be sharing that."

"The most important thing is for him to know that we love him. He needs to know we support him and that even though we may not understand what happened he did what was necessary." She sliced the roast into thin slices and piled it high on a serving dish before covering it and turning to hand it to Maggie. "Here, put this on the table."

While Maggie was occupied setting the table Catherine finished moving the food from the pots and pans into serving dishes. She had to keep reminding herself that everything she had just told her daughter applied to her as well and she needed to remember all of it when Michael joined them. She had to let him tell them what he felt was pertinent and accept it if he chose to withhold some or even all of what he had experienced. The small timer sitting on the back of the stove went off, the buzzer indicating that the cornbread was ready to come out of the oven.

"I feel like I haven't eaten in a week," Michael said as he slid into his chair. He didn't say anything to stop her when his mother reached for his plate and buzzed around the table, filling it up. He nodded when she asked if he wanted gravy over his roast and mashed potatoes, letting her fuss while he reached for a large piece of the cornbread. He broke it in half and the scent of the jalapenos and crushed red peppers finely chopped and mixed into the batter before cooking made his stomach rumble loudly.

Catherine smacked John's hand away when he reached for the seasoned green beans and he settled back in his chair, an amused smile on his lips as he watched her. The fact that Michael was quietly sitting back and allowing her to fill his plate for him spoke volumes. The boy was beyond exhausted, mentally and physically. Emotionally too, but he wouldn't bring that up in mixed company. Some things were best left unspoken.

Michael dug into his food like a starving man when his mother placed his plate before him. He didn't bother trying to force himself to take it slow because he was hungry and that was kind of the whole point of food anyway. He didn't slow down until he had taken the edge off of his hunger and his plate was nearly half empty. He glanced up at his family and wiped the back of his hand over his mouth.

"This's really good, Mom," he mumbled.

John chuckled as he leaned over to slap his boy on the back. "I'm surprised you can taste anything the way you're inhaling that meal." He shook his head and motioned for his son to continue eating. "I still remember how hungry I was after being out in the desert for days on end." He reached for the mashed potatoes and scooped another helping onto his plate. "I didn't think I'd ever get enough to eat once I sat down to a meal again."

"You know," Michael said slowly and pushed his plate back a couple of inches, "what happened with Tess… I never meant to do that."

"Sweetie, we know that," Catherine rushed to assure him. She fell silent when John reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, nodding to indicate she should let Michael continue at his own pace.

"I agreed to meet with her, set it up so we met out at Mustang Point. It was my decision, you need to know that. I knew going in that facing off against her was a risk, but…" he shook his head and used his fork to dig a trough in the center of his potatoes. "She was startin' to mess with the others."

John's gaze dropped to his son's right hand when his grip around the fork tightened and the force caused the metal to bend. "She threatened Maria," he said quietly.

He nodded and forced his hand to relax. "I told you she could get into people's heads." He held the fork between both hands, slowly bending it back into its original shape. "She cornered Maria at school, made her think she was one of her friends, and until she revealed herself Maria had no idea that she was talkin' to the enemy. She did the same thing to one of Maria's friends and then a few days later Isabel came home and found her there with her mom." He sighed and looked at them. "She had to be dealt with and the only way to get her to back off was to let her think we were disagreeing about meeting with her."

"Because making her think that would make her leave them alone until the meeting?" Maggie asked.

Michael glanced at his sister. "Yeah, that was the idea behind it. We let her believe we couldn't come to an agreement for several days and then Maria told her we had agreed as a group that there wouldn't be a meeting."

"Oh, right! By putting it like that and having Maria deliver that message Tess thought you guys couldn't really come to an agreement but because majority rules you were going along with it even though you disagreed."

"Yeah, then we just waited and planted the rest of our cover story. The others made sure she knew about their plans for Saturday and then I called her to set up the meeting. I had her meet me and follow me out to Mustang Point. The others were there before she arrived, safely out of sight, but there in case she got the upper hand." He shook his head as he told them about her story about who he had been on their home planet.

"Do you think she was telling the truth about that?"

Michael shrugged. "I don't know. _She_ believed it, I know that much. That's when she started goin' on about getting rid of our ties to humans because it weakens us."

"Your connection to us weakens you?" Maggie asked, trying to hide her hurt.

Catherine swallowed with difficulty as she waited for Michael to answer his sister's question. He had always wanted to know about his origins and she had been afraid of losing him if he ever found the answers he wanted so badly.

"If I had grown up differently then I might think that. I mean, having these ties, it does complicate things sometimes." He tapped his fork against the side of his plate thoughtfully. "But it also balances somethin' inside of me. Whoever I was in my former life, the guy I was on Antar, I think ties like this would've weakened me. But I'm not that guy. I guess half of who I am now is who I was then, but for me to work here I had to be part human, and I think these ties are what makes it work." He wasn't sure he was making sense. "Tess was raised by Nacedo and she was as cold-blooded and ruthless as he is. When she discovered the others that day she went ballistic."

Maggie's eyes widened. "How did she find out they were there?"

"She touched me and she got this, I don't know, a vision or flashes of the plan or somethin' and she knew exactly where they were. She went off, sayin' that Nacedo would destroy every human we had ties to." His hands clenched into fists on either side of his plate. "She said he'd start with my family and then she started sayin' she'd do it. She talked about it without remorse or hesitation. She sounded… excited at the prospect of killing. She stood there, debating whether she should start with you guys or Maria, talkin' about how she could kill without ever layin' a hand on any of you. When she did that thing where she'd get into people's heads she'd get this focused look and I caught that but it was too late, she was already hurtin' Maria. I didn't stop to think, I didn't consider the consequences, I just hit her with everything I had and she went over the edge. She managed to stop herself but her grip wasn't strong enough to stop her from fallin'."

"Was Maria alright?" Catherine asked after a moment.

Michael slowly looked up to meet his mother's eyes, seeing genuine concern there. He was relieved that she had asked about Maria first. "She's okay." He gave her a small smile. "She was more worried about me than she was that Tess had just tried to hurt her."

"Well, she's a smart girl." She reached over to place her hand on one of his clenched fists. "Michael, what happened was terrible but you were only trying to protect the people you love."

"Does it matter if you kill someone for a good reason? By law it's still murder, right?"

Catherine shook her head and her hand closed over his in a tight grip. "Listen to me. There were extenuating circumstances and she wasn't exactly your average… opponent."

"You started to say victim," he said, watching her.

"I did, and maybe she was a victim of her circumstances. Maybe being raised by Nacedo made her a victim of his way of thinking. I never met her but I know you and I trust you. Sometimes you react to things without stopping to think, but that wasn't the case here. She was threatening everyone you love and it sounds to me like she saw humanity as something to be tolerated until they achieved whatever their goal was. And at that point doing away with anyone who stood in their way was an acceptable method of dealing with the situation. My point, Michael, is that she may have been a victim of circumstance, but she wasn't _your_ victim. They're two very different things."

He considered what she was saying for several minutes before nodding. His vision quest had given him many of the same answers. His concern that his family was going to view him as some sort of monster had been unfounded. But it was still a relief to hear them reassure him.

John set his empty coffee cup aside. "What happens now?"

"Now?" Michael echoed.

"You've had some time to make peace with what's happened. You're out of school for a couple of weeks over the holidays. You must have some things in mind."

"First thing I'm gonna do is sleep. Tomorrow I'm gonna see Maria. She's gonna come out around noon and we'll spend some time together." He shrugged. "After that, I guess I'll start getting to know Max and Isabel since we haven't really had that opportunity. We've been focused on the situation so right now we don't know each other all that well.

"You could always invite them over," Catherine suggested. "We'd love to meet them."

He shook his head, resisting his mother's suggestion. "No, I want to get to know them better first. I'd be more comfortable waitin' until I've gotten more familiar with them." Truthfully, he didn't know them that well and until he knew them better he didn't want them around his family.

She watched him, studying his expression and seeing that he had made up his mind. By their culture's standards her son was now a man and she knew as difficult as it was she was going to have to respect his wishes. "Alright, if that's your decision we'll wait to meet them."

"Okay," Michael said slowly. He had been expecting resistance to his answer so he was surprised when she capitulated without trying to change his mind. "I'm beat, so I think I'm gonna hit the sheets."

John waited until Michael and Maggie had left the room before he took his wife's hand. "You handled that very well," he said with a quiet smile.

"I've been fighting the knowledge that he's becoming a man and I'm gonna have to let him go." She sighed and looked at her husband. "I know it's time to step back."

"You know, there's somethin' to be said for that old saying about if you love something and you let it go it'll come back to you." He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "That boy's grounded, Cath. He knows his place with our family and while he'll go out into the world and make his own way, he'll always know where he belongs and who he is."

She nodded and smiled misty-eyed as she looked at him. "I know and for the first time I'm ready to accept it." She sighed and shook her head. "Can you believe a year from now we'll be spending Christmas with our kids who are home from college?"

John chuckled and stood up, reaching for his coffee cup. "Time does fly, doesn't it?"

Catherine started gathering the dishes, placing them in manageable stacks. The time had gone by fast. Too fast. Her children were on the edge of adulthood and in a matter of months she was going to have to have to let not one, but both of them go.


	125. Chapter 124

**Part 124**

Michael rolled over, half-awake, half-asleep, and completely relaxed in a way that only existed after a night of uninterrupted sleep. His eyebrows pulled down in a frown at the sunlight that attempted to pierce his closed eyelids and without conscious thought he rolled back over to escape it. With any luck he could go right back to sleep.

_Crunch_

The frown returned at the noise and he pulled his pillow over his head in an attempt to block the sound. He could feel his grip on sleep slipping through his fingers and he fought to hold onto it. Silence once more descended upon him and after several minutes his features relaxed and he hummed quietly as sleep once more welcomed him into its comforting embrace.

_Crunch_

_Quiet giggling_

His eyes snapped open and he tensed as he stared at the wall. He knew who it was before he moved. He controlled the smirk that wanted to surface when he shot up and he heard the startled gasps as the girls jumped at being caught. With his arms stretched behind out behind him he braced his weight on his hands and glared at the three of them.

Maggie sat in his desk chair, watching him as she took another bite of her apple. "We're gonna go into Ruidoso and hang out… do a little last minute Christmas shopping."

"So go," he muttered and flopped back on the bed.

"We've got a slight problem with that," she continued, ignoring his annoyed growl when she dragged it out instead of getting straight to the point.

"And you're tellin' me why?"

She shrugged. "Well, you did install the stereo for Linda and now it's not working."

"Did you turn it on?"

She rolled her eyes at him and grabbed a tennis ball off of his desk, throwing it at him. It landed on his chest and bounced to roll across the floor. "Just take a look at it before we go."

"You're gonna talk right over the music anyway, so what's it matter if it's workin' or not?" he asked and rolled over again. He shot a glance at his alarm clock. 8am. He still had plenty of time before Maria came out to see him.

The girls looked at each other when they didn't get the response they had been hoping for. Maggie shook her head and gave them an _I've got this_ look.

"Well, I guess if we're not gonna go anywhere we'll just have to hang out here… with you." She smirked in satisfaction. "And Maria, she'll be here around noon, right?" No way would he stand for having them around when she arrived.

"Suit yourself," he mumbled against his pillow. "She's not comin' out to see you."

"True," she mused. "Of course the three of us can be very aggravating when we put our minds to it." She held a finger up in a bid for silence when Christina started to speak. "And Maria and I have formed a sorta bond while you've been out in the desert."

Michael growled under his breath and scrubbed his hand through his hair. "Alright, fine, I'll go look at the stupid stereo. Now get outta here and gimme five minutes to myself."

Maggie leaned down to scoop up the puppy chewing on one corner of the trunk at the end of the bed, placing the animal on the bed before hurrying out of the room with her friends. They paused at the door, sending a chorus of thank you's and ducking out of the room when he rolled over and threw a shoe in their direction. It smacked against the door as Maggie pulled it shut and he lay there for a minute trying to get his bearings.

He closed his eyes and was seriously considering just going back to sleep when something wet slid across his bicep. His eyes shot open and the first thing he saw was the tail furiously wagging. As his gaze became more focused he found himself looking into the extremely up-close face of the puppy they had gotten for Joey.

"Hey there," he rasped and reached up to scratch behind the puppy's ears.

She yawned widely and then shook her head before throwing herself down on his chest and starting to chew on a mouthful of his blanket.

"I hope that housebreaking business is goin' good because if you piss on me or the bed I'm not gonna be happy about it."

Her tail started to wag again and she wriggled around to make herself comfortable in the crook of his arm.

"Now why can't every other female in my life be this easy to please?" He frowned at the door when someone knocked on it. "Alright, alright, I'm comin'." He gave the puppy an affectionate pat and got up to get dressed.

Twenty minutes later his body was contorted in an awkward position as he tried to get a solid grip on the wires that had come loose. He cursed colorfully when one of them slipped from his fingers and he had to fish around for it again. He finally caught it and reconnected the wires, wrapping them with electrical tape and then securing them.

"Okay, that should have it." He held his hand up and snapped his fingers. "Keys." He curled his fingers around the keys when Linda dropped them in his palm and reached up to insert the correct one into the ignition. He turned the key and started the engine then moved his hand over the dash to find the knob for the radio.

The girls jumped up and down when music poured from the speakers and he rolled his eyes before cutting the engine and enjoying the silence that followed. And only lasted for a matter of seconds before the girls were jabbering about shopping and boyfriends and whatever else it was that girls talked about. He freed himself from the confines of the floorboard and got to his feet.

"Alright, the three of you can go away now." He grumbled and tried to rush them along when they started hugging him and thanking him for fixing the radio. He sighed in relief when they finally piled into the jeep and Linda started the engine but a moment later she turned the radio down and Maggie started speaking.

"Anything you want me to pick up while we're out?" she asked with an innocent smile.

"And the implication in that question would be that Christmas is the day after tomorrow and I don't have a gift for Maria yet?"

She made a face at him. "Well, you're not exactly an early shopper and with Maria being your first girlfriend and all you might not wanna show up on Christmas morning without a gift."

He smirked and turned to walk back up to the house, waving over his shoulder. In the kitchen he reached for the refrigerator door and paused when he saw the note stuck to the freezer door. He pulled it off and read it, smiling at Mom's reminder to eat something nutritional. At the bottom of the note Dad had left instructions for the day's chores. Things felt normal. Mom and Dad were at work, Maggie and the girls had started the morning by harassing him, and he had the house to himself. He scratched his chest and pulled the milk out before grabbing a bowl and a box of cereal.

He sat down at the kitchen table and filled his bowl. He was just starting to eat when he heard a vehicle pull up in the driveway and he leaned back to look out through the window. He recognized Eddie's truck and when the other man stepped up on the porch he waved to get his attention, motioning to the front door.

"River Dog said you were back," Eddie said as he filled a glass with orange juice and sat down across from his friend. He pushed the note Catherine had left for her son with the tip of one finger before shooting a pointed glance at the cereal and glancing at Michael with a raised eyebrow.

Michael shrugged and continued eating. "What's up?"

"Thought I'd come by and see if you wanted to take a ride."

He checked the time. "Gotta be back by noon."

Eddie smirked. "Yeah, heard you've got a big date."

"Maggie doesn't know as much as she thinks she knows."

"Didn't say I heard it from her," he said in that infuriatingly calm voice.

He shrugged again and got up to rinse his bowl out. "Let's get goin'."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The desert was cold, the landscape serene, and they rode in companionable silence. The only sounds were those made by the horses and the occasional call of a bird overhead. Michael breathed in deeply, drawing in the cold, cleansing air and enjoying the sensation of breathing without the heavy weight of guilt crushing his chest.

The guilt had been replaced by another weight, but while the weight of responsibility rested heavily on his shoulders it didn't threaten to crush him. He tugged his baseball cap down lower and hunched his shoulders when the wind picked up for a moment.

Eddie glanced at him as they crossed a shallow creek. "Got an idea what you're gonna do now?"

Michael shifted his weight in the saddle and straightened up. He knew Eddie was referring to the situation with Tess. "For now, getting to know the others better. What I know about them so far has basically been need to know." He was silent a moment. "Mom wants to meet them."

"But you don't know them well enough to bring them around your family yet."

He nodded in response. "There're some things I've gotta figure out… things I need to know before I can take that step. Maria's spent time with them the past few days so she'll have some ideas or theories… whatever." He snorted and tugged the reins to the left to guide Sundance around a hole in the ground.

"You think the girl… Isabel, right?" He continued when Michael confirmed with a nod. "You still think the two of you are related?"

"You were there the night we ran into them in the woods, Eddie. Can you deny there're similarities? It's not just physical features though; she's got the same kinda temperament too." He looked at his friend. "How'd you even know about that?"

"Maggie likes to talk when she's worried about you and there're only so many people she can talk to about things like this." He shrugged one shoulder. "She's a little nervous about the dynamics of your relationship changing if Isabel really is your sister. If that's true you and Isabel would have a common bond that you and Maggie will never have."

"Why do girls have to make things so complicated?" he muttered. "I already told her nothing's gonna change between us."

"Do we need to have that girls are different than guys talk again?"

"Do you need me to knock you off your horse?" Michael countered.

Eddie just chuckled and searched the blue sky. "Have you discussed the possibility with Isabel yet?"

"Nah, Maria said to wait since the thing with Tess had everyone on edge. That was enough drama without adding potential family complications into the mix." His expression reflected annoyance when he caught the amused look on Eddie's face. "What's so damn funny?"

He grinned and shook his head. "You put a lot of weight behind Maria's opinion."

"So?"

"Nothin', just sayin'." He pulled back on the reins when his horse started to move around agitatedly. "Easy," he murmured, leaning forward and patting the animal's neck.

Michael's grip tightened on the reins when Sundance started to behave the same way. The big horse pawed the ground and whinnied loudly. "Santana's herd must be close by."

Eddie looked at the ground, seeing small pebbles dance across the sandy ground in response to the horses' hooves as they pounded across the desert floor somewhere in the distance. "They're not far away." He glanced up and caught sight of the herd as it ran past them more than a mile away.

Michael watched the horses, too far away to really make out any detail but close enough to pick Santana and Mirage out of the herd. His mind drifted back to the vision he'd had while out in the desert. _The pair of horses did mirror him and Maria,_ he mused. The stallion was responsible for the herd; making sure they were fed and watered, keeping them safe, and defending the herd from predators and at times from the younger stallions he himself had sired. The mare that had become his constant companion watched over him. She did her part for the herd but he was her primary concern. _It was uncanny._

The shadows began to subtly shift and he glanced up, noticing that the sun was climbing higher in the sky. It was also getting dangerously close to noon and he and Eddie were at least an hour from the house. They had started talking and lost track of time. "We need to head back," he said, turning Sundance back the way they had come.

Eddie smirked at the younger man's hurry but he left it alone. He had been in Michael's place more than once and he knew how women reacted to their man being late. A woman could and would be late for everything under the sun, make the man wait an eternity before she felt she was presentable to the world, often enough making them late for whatever plans had been made, but they could not understand how he could be late. It just showed a callous disregard for their feelings as well as their plans. He snorted softly at the differences between men and women and urged his horse into a gallop.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria stood on the front porch of Michael's house and frowned at the truck parked in the driveway. No one appeared to be home but they had agreed to meet at noon. After everything that had happened she knew there was no way he would not be there to meet her on time. She looked up at the house again and sighed. _She had said noon, right?_ Not half past or even one o'clock, but noon. She was positive she was on time.

Maybe he'd had to run an errand for his parents. Or maybe he had gone to visit with River Dog and it was taking a little longer than he had intended. No, when she had talked to him the day before he'd already been to see his grandfather. She looked at the truck again and realized she didn't recognize it. It wasn't John's truck. Maybe one of his cousins had come by and he had gone to help with something. It would explain why he was late. She bit her lip as she looked around. She would wait a few more minutes and if he didn't show up she would start checking a few places around the reservation.

After another twenty minutes she gave up waiting and got back in her car, driving through the reservation and checking every place she could think of that he might be. She stopped by the tribal office first, thinking he might have stopped in there for some reason, but he wasn't there. She knew if anything had happened to him Maggie would've called her to let her know. She checked her phone and quickly noted the lack of missed calls, which only served to annoy her.

She drove out to River Dog's house and mumbled curses under her breath when she learned that no one was home there either. Annoyance quickly began to shift into irritation at his lack of consideration. He knew what time she was going to be there. He knew after being gone because of what had happened she needed to see him. She ran by a couple more places before she decided she might as well just wait at his house for him to show up.

She sat there, fingers drumming on the steering wheel while her temper simmered to a boil.


End file.
